Afghanistan: Humanitarian Developments and Aid Access - UNAMA Briefing | United Nations

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Edem Wosornu, Director of the Crisis Response Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also addressed the Council on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Emergency Relief Coordinator. She said, “While a ceasefire in April has led to a reduction in violence, explosive weapons contamination continues to pose a deadly threat – especially to children. The conflict has also disrupted critical supply chains with the continued border closure affecting humanitarian programmes, especially food security and nutrition. A reopening of the border is urgently required to keep the response moving.” She reported, “Hunger is growing across Afghanistan. Today, 4.7 million people are at risk of severe food insecurity (IPC Phase 4) – which is 50 per cent higher than during the same time last year. Some 3.7 million children are facing acute malnutrition. We continue to receive alarming reports of families forced into desperate choices, including selling daughters, simply to survive.” She also said, “Activities supporting women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by de facto authority restrictions, with at least six women’s spaces closed in Herat Province since March and the suspension of livelihoods activities for women. Female staff have also been stopped in Herat for what the de-facto authorities claimed to be inappropriate dress, inappropriate dress, and over the weekend we have received reports of dozens of women arrested due to alleged non-compliance with existing dress codes- including women health workers.”