KABUL - The UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, Stephen O'Brien Friday raised concerns over what he called a rising trend of internally displaced Afghans in the country, calling on the international community to step up efforts to help.
The UN official has asked for $150 USD in aid within four months to facilitate over one million internally displaced Afghans.
O'Brien has also asked the Afghan government to step up efforts for ensuring transparency, fighting corruption and improving economic development for the ordinary Afghans.
Speaking to TOLOnews, the UN envoy also raised deep concerns over the unprecedented surge in violence in the militancy-riddled nation, saying Afghan children have been affected massively by the scale of violence.
The UN official warned that the surge in violence will leave another one million Afghans homeless by the end of the year.
"We have predicted this very quick and immediate relief for extra resources to meet the spike of what we expect to be a million people on the move in Afghanistan by the end of this year, so that the next four months, September now up to December this year we have estimated that we need an extra $150 million to meet the life saving humanitarian need and the protection of the civilian needs of people either coming from across the Pakistan border, maybe a few coming from Iran, but primarily also the internally displaced people," he said.
In reference to his meetings with the Afghan political leadership, the UN envoy said that he raised some key issues with the Afghan political establishment with the main focus on the implementation of reforms in key government sectors, good governance, accountability and transparency.
The UN has constantly urged warring factions in Afghanistan not to disrupt humanitarian work in the country so that the world body can rescue the affected communities.
As the winter season nears, the UN is trying to accelerate its humanitarian aid to Afghans in remote regions where there is the possibility of road closures, avalanches, flash floods and other natural disasters. (Tolonews)