An Afghan diplomat from the embassy and permanent mission of Afghanistan at the UN Office in Geneva, Suraya Azizi, expressed concerns about the persistent poverty in Afghanistan during a United Nations human rights meeting.
Azizi stated that poverty has become a desperate reality for millions in Afghanistan, particularly over the past two years.
She also emphasized that Afghanistan continues to face one of the worst humanitarian and economic crises in the world.
“Although the World made a generous humanitarian pledge in September 2021 to support the Afghan people, that commitment is now declining drastically,” she said.
Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, stressed the importance of continuing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. He assured that the interim government does not interfere in the aid process and that the organizations providing aid have the independence to distribute it themselves.
“They have the independence to distribute the aid themselves and the Islamic Emirate closely monitors their activities to ensure transparency in aid distribution,” he said.
Analysts suggest that the UN and other humanitarian organizations should be held accountable for their activities in Afghanistan.
Azeraksh Hafizi, an analyst in economic affairs, stated that “there have been numerous complaints about the lack of transparency in the aid process.”
Hafizi emphasized the need for the UN and other aid organizations to deliver aid transparently and be accountable to the people of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a number of Kabul residents called on aid organizations to provide job opportunities within the country.
They argue that cash aid is not sufficient as it is temporary. Instead, they believe that providing employment opportunities would enable people to earn money and lead to long-term improvement.
Masoud, a resident of Kabul, expressed this sentiment, saying that it is better to focus on job creation.
“The cash aid is not helping properly because it is temporary. Instead, it is better to provide people with job opportunities so that they can have an income,” he added.
Similarly, Samir, another resident of Kabul, urged the Islamic Emirate to provide youths with employment opportunities, enabling them to live prosperous lives alongside their families.
“We call on the Islamic emirate to provide the youths with jobs so that they can live in prosperity,” he stated.
Recently, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported an increase in the estimated number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan to 28.8 million, up from 28.3 million at the beginning of 2023.
