The conference marks an opportunity for the international community to turn a corner and show that the world stands with Afghanistan in these dark hours. Despite Afghans living through two decades of conflict, what the world sees is truly unprecedented. It is one of the world’s major crises, with humanitarian indicators like hunger and malnutrition spiraling.
The economic crash unraveling since August 2021 has driven levels of humanitarian needs, while also making the aid response challenging. NRC sees first-hand the adverse impact this has on vulnerable communities. Many families are forced to skip meals and can’t afford basic health or education expenses.
Humanitarian funding is desperately needed, and NRC expects donors to dig deep to support Afghans. In addition, the organization must see the international community set out firm policy commitments to help address the economic root causes of this humanitarian crisis and stabilize the economy.
Until the economy is on a path to recovery, donors must also continue to support interim measures to ensure humanitarians can access cash in the country. Finally, donors must step up and ensure support to Afghanistan’s neighbors is forthcoming and share the responsibility to help them continue hosting refugees.