Very Important to Engage With Taliban to Stop Economic Collapse in Afghanistan: UN Chief
New Delhi: The United Nations (UN) Chief Antonio Guterres on Monday expressed concerns over the situation developed in Afghanistan. The UN Chief said that “The international community should engage with the Taliban to avert a total collapse of Afghanistan‘s economy.”
Guterres told the media that “It is impossible to provide humanitarian assistance inside Afghanistan without engaging with the de facto authorities, and at the present moment, it is very important to engage with the Taliban.”
The UN chief further urged the rich countries to provide necessary aid to Afghans and to support women and others rights that appear threatened by the Taliban. Speaking to ministers gathered for a donor conference for the violence-torn country, Guterres insisted that “the people of Afghanistan need a lifeline”.
The UN Secretary General’s comments came just under a month after the Taliban swept into power in Afghanistan. The half-day conference is seeking to raise the $606 million that humanitarian agencies say is urgently needed to provide life-saving aid to millions of Afghans over the four final months of the year.
According to the United Nations, “Some 40 percent of the country’s GDP was already drawn from foreign funding, and half of the population was already dependent on humanitarian aid. UN would release $20 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund to support the humanitarian operation in Afghanistan.”
David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme, warned, urging countries to “Step up now so that we can do our job. We could have mass-migration, destabilization in the region, and for certain starvation among millions of Afghan people.”
