RASC News Agency: The humanitarian emergency situation in Afghanistan, analyzed comprehensively from August 2021 to March 2023 in a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), reveals a disturbing surge in poverty within the country. Alongside this, UNICEF’s budget has seen a substantial increase, reaching 14 times its previous amount. These developments underscore the critical necessity for effective measures to address the escalating poverty crisis in Afghanistan.
Economic experts express concerns about the current rulers of Afghanistan, who are suspected of engaging in corruption and meddling in aid-related matters. According to these experts, the aid provided by the international community and charitable organizations lacks economic effectiveness and cannot adequately alleviate poverty in Afghanistani society. They argue that addressing poverty and unemployment requires more than just distributing aid to the needy; comprehensive development projects must be undertaken in the country.
Despite these concerns, the Deputy Minister of Economy underscores the importance of humanitarian aid from international organizations for the people of Afghanistan. The Acting Minister of Economy attributes the increased poverty within the country to international community sanctions imposed on the Taliban group. Mullah Abdul Latif Nazari, a deputy expert at the Ministry of Economy, claims that the spread of poverty in Afghanistan is primarily caused by sanctions imposed on the Afghanistani people, including frozen assets and banking and commercial restrictions that violate international law.
The latest UNICEF report predicts that in 2024, a staggering 23.3 million individuals in Afghanistan will require humanitarian aid, with 12.6 million of them being children. These figures emphasize the urgent need for sustained support to address the dire situation in the country. It is worth noting that previous reports from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have indicated that one in three Afghanistani citizens experiences hunger at night due to widespread poverty in the country. The increasing rates of poverty and unemployment since the Taliban assumed power have become a major concern for the citizens of Afghanistan, necessitating immediate action to alleviate their suffering.
