UN organizations call for airbridge to ensure delivery of aid to Afghanistan
UN organizations have called for the establishment of an air bridge to meet the growing humanitarian needs in Afghanistan.
In a joint statement issued by the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, and UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, George Laria-Adji, the two UN agencies called for their help in bringing vital health supplies to Afghanistan.
This call comes in the midst of not allowing commercial aircraft to land currently in Kabul, and fears of diminishing capabilities to respond quickly to the growing needs in Afghanistan.
Thousands are trying to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover, and are gathering near Kabul airport, and media outlets confirmed, on Sunday, that about seven people were killed in the vicinity of the airport.
“While the main focus over the past days has been on major air operations to evacuate foreigners and Afghans at risk, the enormous humanitarian needs facing the majority of the population should not and cannot be neglected,” the statement said.
WHO and UNICEF are calling for immediate and unhindered access to deliver medicines and other life-saving supplies to the millions of people in need, including the 300,000 who have been displaced in the past two months.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF underlined their commitment to stay and provide assistance to the people of Afghanistan: “We remain committed to staying in Afghanistan and providing assistance, and we have shifted work to meet the needs of the millions of Afghans who remain in the country.”
