Asylum seekers at  Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Chaman, southwest of Pakistan, August 27, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

The UN says the world community should help Afghanistan avoid a humanitarian crisis and financial collapse and put pressure on the Taliban to promote national reconciliation and protect human rights, particularly the rights of women.

Avoiding a humanitarian crisis and financial collapse

UN reports show that the food shortage in Afghanistan is worsening. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warns that one-third of Afghanistan’s 33 million people are facing starvation.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has said only 5% of families have enough to eat every day, while half have reported that they ran out of food completely at least once in the past two weeks.

Afghanistan’s medical system is overloaded and has a severe shortage of supplies. The World Health Organization says hundreds of thousands of Afghan people have no access to medical services. Afghan’s state budget is almost empty and its financial system is on the brink of collapse.

The world community is trying to salvage the situation. The UN announced it will allocate 45 million USD from its Central Emergency Response Fund to help Afghanistan resolve its shortage of medicines, medical supplies, and fuel.

EC President Ursula von der Leyen (VNA)

The EU has promised to increase aid and continue to stand by Afghanistan. EC President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will send additional humanitarian aid of 100 million euros.

The US has frozen 9 billion USD in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank, but the Biden administration has authorized certain transactions with the Taliban that will allow aid to reach the Afghani people. The WHO, WFP, and UNFPA have mobilized financial support, food, medicines, and medical supplies to help the Afghan people survive the harsh winter.

Promoting peace and upholding women’s rights

In addition to humanitarian aid, the world community wants to ensure peace and human rights in Afghanistan, particularly the rights of women and girls. There is evidence that the Taliban are not doing what they said they would do. They have not kept promises to promote reconciliation and national unity and respect women’s rights. The Taliban’s interim government includes neither non-Taliban representatives nor women.

On September 23, the Taliban said they would temporarily honor Afghanistan’s 1964 constitution, which grants rights to women. But the Taliban's acting Minister of Justice Abdul Hakim Sharaee has said that anything in the constitution found to conflict with Sharia law and the principles of the Islamic Emirate would be discarded.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on September 26 that the Taliban government in Afghanistan should not be recognized because there are 17 terrorists among the ministers, and the rights of women and girls are being consistently violated. Italy holds the presidency of the G20 and intends to call a special summit on Afghanistan later this month.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on September 25 that recognition of the Taliban has not been considered.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and many other world leaders say international recognition of the Taliban is the only way to put pressure on the Taliban to abide by its commitments on reconciliation and respecting basic human rights, including the rights of women and girls.