NGOs in Afghanistan are calling for greater dialogue with the Taliban amid warnings that the humanitarian crisis in the country is worsening as winter approaches.
Millions of displaced Afghans are in dire need of aid assistance after the Islamist group took power following the withdrawal of US and Nato troops earlier this year.
Indrika Ratawatte, a regional director at the UN's Human Rights Council, said the time for debating was over and that humanitarian efforts must be prioritised.
Speaking at the Chatham House think tank, Mr Ratawatte, who oversees the UNHCR's efforts in Asia and the Pacific, said that he expected internal displacement to increase unless there was a "concerted effort" to solve the crisis.
At least 3.7 million Afghans have been displaced by internal conflict alone in the past several years, with more than 600,000 displaced since the Taliban takeover, he said.
"I think this is a time to step up and address the issues in a concrete manner and not politicise the debate, because we are not talking about the regime," he said at the Negotiating with the Taliban event. "We are talking about people and 38 million of them need help right now."
More must be done to assist host countries, such as Pakistan and Iran, which are dealing with asylum fatigue after processing millions of documented and undocumented refugees, he said.
"I think it's time to really sit down with the Taliban and have a robust engagement of civil society", he said.
These neighbouring nations, rather than western governments, could pressure the Taliban by showing them how to integrate women and minorities into an Islamic society.
The Taliban leadership are seeking “normal relations” with Washington after the US closed its Kabul embassy last August. Other powers such as China and Russia have already opened talks with the Taliban and pushed for a more inclusive government.
Dr Orzala Nemat, a leading scholar on Afghanistan, said NGOs have played a vital role in Afghanistan's history and will continue to do so after the collapse of the country's government support structures.
"The de facto reality on the ground is that the Taliban are ruling the country, whether we like it or not," she told the event, and said that a "constructive and principled" engagement was critical to achieving change within the Taliban's senior ranks.
The calls come after the UN’s special representative for the country, Deborah Lyons, said that Afghanistan is “on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe”.
The country’s GDP is estimated to have contracted by 40 per cent, which is probably fuelling extremism, she said.
Statistics show that almost 17 million Afghans face crisis levels of food insecurity, and nearly half of all children under five are malnourished as a consequence of drought and the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, UN agencies have predicted that 23 million of the country’s 38 million population will not have enough food for winter.
Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
