Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, announced on Monday, June 24, 2024, during a UN Security Council meeting that the people of Afghanistan face severe and ongoing humanitarian needs.
She emphasized that decades of war, structural poverty, climate crises, extensive restrictions against women and girls, and severe budget cuts have worsened the situation.
According to Msuya, one in five Afghans faces hunger, and approximately 3.7 million children are deprived of school attendance, including 2.2 million girls over 11 years old who are banned from education due to Taliban group restrictions. The maternal mortality rate in Afghanistan is more than 2.5 times the global average, and widespread drought threatens parts of the country.
Msuya also warned that Kabul could become the first capital city in the modern era to face severe water shortages. Groundwater levels in Kabul have decreased by 30 meters, and nearly half of the water wells have dried up. Despite these challenges, Afghan women aid workers remain on the frontlines of humanitarian response, and the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund has recently allocated $2.4 million to local organizations.
