Geneva: The United Nations held a Help Conference in Geneva on Monday in an effort to increase more than $ 600 million for Afghanistan, a commemoration of the humanitarian crisis there after the Taliban takeover.
Even before the Kabul Taliban seizure last month, half a population or 18 million people depend on assistance.
That number seems to be increasing due to dryness and lack of cash and food, UN officials and aid groups warn.
The sudden end of billions of dollars in foreign donations after the collapse of government supported by West Afghanistan and the next victory about the Taliban had accumulated more pressure on the UN program.
But UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said his organization struggled financially: “At this time the United Nations could not even pay their salary to their own workers,” he told reporters on Friday.
The Geneva Conference, which will begin on Monday afternoon, will be attended by UN officials including Guterres, Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, and dozens of government representatives including German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
About one third of the $ 606 million sought will be used by the UN World Food Program which found that 93% of 1,600 Afghanistan surveyed in August and September did not consume enough food, mostly because they could not get access to cash to pay for that.
“Now it comes against time and snow to provide help saving life to the people who need it most,” said Deputy Deputy Regional Director of Anthea Webb.
“We really begged and borrowed to avoid food stocks run out.” The World Health Organization, other UN agencies which are part of the appeal, are trying to support hundreds of health facilities with the risk of closing after the donor retreats.