Afghanistan Urgently Needs Aim To Stem Waves Of Internal Displacement - UN Refugee Chief

Fakhir Rizvi Published September 06, 2018 | 09:18 PM

The international community needs to urgently increase its support for the humanitarian response in Afghanistan in light of the worsening internal displacement crisis, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) The international community needs to urgently increase its support for the humanitarian response in Afghanistan in light of the worsening internal displacement crisis, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement on Thursday.

"Afghanistan is at a crossroads. A combination of conflict, natural disasters, and inadequate access to basic services and economic opportunities is causing continued waves of internal displacement," Grandi said. "The country now more than ever needs the support of the international community, as it takes steps to pursue peace and stability, and to link humanitarian action to broader development efforts."

Until Afghanistan finds a solution to the displacement crisis, Grandi added, there will be no lasting peace in the country.

The statement comes at the end of a two-day joint visit to Afghanistan with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, who echoed the need for urgent support in the region.

Lowcock pointed out that the civilian casualties are at all-time high, with 40,000 people killed in the last four years.

According to the release, at least 4.2 million people in Afghanistan are in acute need of humanitarian assistance due to conflict, displacement and the ongoing drought while another 8.7 million people are in need of aid as a result of abject poverty and high unemployment.

Afghanistan has long been in a state of turmoil, with the government fighting the Islamic State (IS) terror group, outlawed in Russia, and the Taliban insurgency. The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are conducting joint counterterrorist operations across the country.