Thu Sep 19 07:27:34 UTC 2024: ## Taliban Clampdown Worsens Afghan Humanitarian Crisis, UN Warns
**New York, September 18, 2024** – The UN Security Council heard dire warnings on Wednesday about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, fueled by the Taliban’s ongoing crackdown on women and restrictions on basic freedoms.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, highlighted a “period of stability” achieved by the Taliban, but cautioned that this comes at the cost of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation. The Taliban’s policies, she said, are failing to address the real needs of the population and are undermining the country’s economic potential.
With international funding dwindling, the $3 billion humanitarian response plan is only 30% funded, leading to the closure of over 200 healthcare services and the imminent closure of another 171 facilities. Food rations have been cut, and millions of civilians lack access to safe water.
The situation is further exacerbated by the Taliban’s oppressive policies targeting women, which have sparked international condemnation. A new “moral oversight law” requires women to cover their bodies completely in public, prohibits them from speaking in public, and forbids them from looking at unrelated men.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous emphasized the fear surrounding these laws and their arbitrary application, describing a life lived under such restrictions as “truly incomprehensible.”
The Taliban’s continued ban on girls’ education further exacerbates the crisis, leaving Afghan boys as the only students in schools with a curriculum controlled entirely by the Taliban.
A 21-year-old Afghan girl, identified only as Mina, who fled the country, urged the Security Council to act, warning that the next generation of Afghan girls might be convinced they are not worthy of an education.
Bahous and other briefers called on the Council to take decisive action to defend women and other civilians in Afghanistan. “We can decide now to put our political will and resources behind our solidarity with Afghan women,” Bahous stated.
The bleak warnings from UN officials highlight the critical need for international action to address the growing humanitarian crisis and alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.
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