The head of the United Nations said that almost all Afghans do not have enough food, and some have resorted to "selling their children and body parts" to get money for food.
The statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is part of a dramatic appeal by the world organization and several wealthy countries that want to help Afghans, whose fortunes have worsened since the Taliban returned to power last year.
Guterres began a virtual conference backed by Britain, Germany and Qatar, seeking to make progress on the largest UN aid funding to a single country: $4,4 billion.
That's a particularly ambitious goal when much of the world's attention is focused on Russia's war in Ukraine, and some wealthy nations have frozen nearly $XNUMX billion in Afghan assets abroad so the Taliban can't access them.
With Afghanistan in the grip of a debilitating humanitarian crisis, the economy in freefall, some 23 million people face acute food insecurity, the UN says.
Rich countries have tried to put financial pressure on the Taliban in the hope of encouraging the desired reforms.
The head of the UN stated that in Afghanistan 95 percent of people do not have enough food, nine million people are at risk of starvation, and according to UNICEF's estimate, more than one million severely malnourished children are "on the verge of death if there is no urgent action".
"People are already selling their children and body parts to feed their families," Guterres said.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said her government would provide 286 million pounds ($380 million) in aid this year. German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock said her country had increased aid to 200 million euros ($220 million). Qatar said it had contributed $50 million in recent months and pledged another $25 million.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said the United States has announced nearly $204 million in humanitarian aid funding for Afghanistan.
The situation has worsened for Afghans due to the worst drought in years and skyrocketing food prices caused by the consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine, Europe's key breadbasket.
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