Afghanistan

A view of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
Photo UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

Afghanistan: UN chief condemns terrorist blasts near Kabul airport

26 August 2021
Peace and Security

Secretary-General António Guterres condemned on Thursday the terror attacks around Kabul airport in Afghanistan and expressed his support for both the injured and the families of those who have been killed. 

A father and his daughter in a camp for displaced people, two of 18 million people in Afghanistan who are in need of humanitarian aid, .
© UNICEF Afghanistan

UN migration agency launches $24 million appeal for Afghanistan

26 August 2021
Humanitarian Aid

In response to the growing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday launched a $24 million urgent appeal to assist hundreds of thousands of people displaced within the country over the past two months.

Grain is loaded for distribution at a World Food Programme warehouse in Kabul in May 2021.
© WFP/Arete/Andrew Quilty

Amidst turmoil, displacement and plunging economy, Afghanistan’s future ‘very difficult…to see’

25 August 2021
Peace and Security

A crisis of incredible proportions is unfolding in Afghanistan as conflict, combined with drought and COVID-19, is pushing Afghans into a humanitarian catastrophe, the UN food relief agency said on Wednesday.

A mother and her children fled conflict in Lashkargah and now live in a displaced persons camp in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan.
© UNICEF Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Negotiations to bring in urgent medical supplies ongoing, says WHO

24 August 2021
Health

Negotiations are underway to bring 500 metric tonnes of urgently needed medical supplies into Afghanistan, senior regional officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) said during an online briefing on Tuesday. 

More than 400 families from Kunduz, Sar-e Pol and Takhar provinces have taken shelter in a high school in southern Kabul.
© UNICEF Afghanistan

First Person: Health workers in Afghanistan brave safety fears, to continue treating the sick

24 August 2021
Humanitarian Aid

An Afghan doctor has told UN News that he is committed to providing essential healthcare services to people who have fled their homes due to conflict in Afghanistan, but safety fears mean that his future and that of his colleagues, particularly women health workers, is uncertain.

Ten million children across Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance to survive.
© UNICEF/Monique Awad

Afghanistan: UN agencies sound alarm over emergency aid supply logjam

23 August 2021
Humanitarian Aid

UN humanitarian agencies are warning that they are unable to bring urgently needed emergency supplies into Afghanistan, and are calling for a “humanitarian airbridge” to be set up immediately, to allow the unimpeded delivery of medicines and other aid supplies to the country.

More than 400 families have taken shelter in a school in southern Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
© UNICEF Afghanistan

‘No way out’ for imperilled Afghans, broader international response needed

20 August 2021
Peace and Security

Despite a prevailing “sense of fear” among vulnerable citizens, UN humanitarian agencies and their partners reiterated their commitment to the people of Afghanistan on Friday, informing that they are still accessing those in need throughout the country. 

The crisis in northern Ethiopia has resulted in millions of people in need of emergency assistance and protection.
© UNICEF/Christine Nesbitt

Ethiopia: UN chief gravely concerned over ‘unspeakable violence’ in Tigray

19 August 2021
Peace and Security

Speaking outside the Security Council chamber on Thursday, UN chief António Guterres told journalists that he is gravely concerned about the situation in Ethiopia, particularly the “unspeakable violence” against women and others in Tigray.
 

The UN says there are over 18 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
© UNICEF Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Medical lifeline to millions must not be cut, warns WHO 

18 August 2021
Health

The delivery of lifesaving aid and medical supplies to millions of Afghans must not be cut, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, citing a more than threefold rise in the number of trauma cases.

A mural commemorating journalists killed in Afghanistan has been painted on a blast wall in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan.
UNAMA/Fardin Waezi

Protect human rights defenders in Afghanistan, says UN rights expert

17 August 2021
Culture and Education

Afghanistan faces a “cultural disaster”, following the fall of Kabul to Taliban forces, a UN Special Rapporteur said on Tuesday, in a statement urging countries to provide urgent assistance to human rights defenders, including those working on women’s and cultural rights, as well as artists, trying to flee the country.