INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is gravely deteriorating, and a new approach is urgently needed, the International Federation of
the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday.In a statement, IFRC said that without a radical rethink of approaches to
humanitarian aid, the root causes of the crisis cannot be tackled sustainably, as time and funding are running out.We have been responding
with emergency aid in Afghanistan for years now, and it is time for a rethink,& said Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia
&We need to focus on Afghan institutions like the Afghan Red Crescent, which have a permanent role in the country
Their capacity is durable and will serve people before and after aid operations
We need to adapt our programming to focus on resilience and economic independence while still showing solidarity and providing assistance
after sudden shocks like the Herat earthquake and the current floods.He went on to reiterate the IFRC&s call for investment in people.With
limited access to education and jobs, we need a focus on youth, on professional and vocational training, and other learning
opportunities—interventions designed to boost confidence and give hope
Otherwise, the future really does look grim.This call comes ahead of a partnership meeting hosted in Doha by the Afghan Red Crescent Society
in cooperation with the Qatar Red Crescent Society and attended by participating national societies from Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, and Türkiye, as well as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of
China.Communities are lurching from crisis to crisis at a time when their resilience is sub-zero and their coping mechanisms are exhausted
We ask our valued partners to take a long-term view and commit to tackling the root causes of the humanitarian crisis sustainably by
investing in Afghan capacity, people, and systems,& said Mutiul Haq Khales, the Acting President of the Afghan Red Crescent Society.The
needs of over 24 million people are vast and interconnected
Many have been caused by a combination of lingering impacts from decades-long conflict, climate shocks, and a deep economic crisis
The country&s resources are stretched, but capacities exist, and it is important that solutions are implemented to address the root causes
of all these overlapping needs,& he added
The post IFRC calls for rethink of approaches to humanitarian aid to Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.
