Afghanistan is set to receive more than $1 billion in humanitarian aid to help ease the current crisis as millions face food shortages and the economy reaches the verge of collapse. The United Nations announced the aid on Monday, speaking at a high-level ministers’ meeting on the crisis in Geneva. UN Security General Antonio Guterres stated that poverty rates in Afghanistan have spiked significantly since the Taliban took over last month. Basic public services are reportedly not functioning within the country.
The UN made an emergency appeal for $606 million to meet the most pressing needs in the country. Guterres stated that the request had been fully met and that the UN has collected more than $1 billion in pledges. Guterres stated that the donations represent a commitment from the international community towards the Afghan people. Before the Taliban obtained power over Afghanistan, the country was already struggling from conflict, poverty, drought, economic decline, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost half of the Afghan population, roughly 18 million people, were in need of aid. According to the UN, more than half of children under the age of five are facing acute malnutrition and thousands of families have been displaced from their homes due to the conflict.
Read More: More than $1 billion in aid pledged for Afghanistan as country faces ‘most perilous hour’
