Red Cross Official: Fast Action Needed to End Afghan Humanitarian Crisis
2021-11-25
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1A Red Cross official has sharply criticized the continuation of sanctions and freezes in international aid to Afghanistan.
2The official says the measures are preventing the delivery of basic services to the population.
3Dominik Stillhart is the director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
4He released a statement Monday about his six-day visit to field hospitals in Afghanistan.
5He described the suffering he saw of hungry children and the anguish of their parents.
6The United Nations says more than half of Afghanistan's estimated 40 million population is likely to go hungry this winter unless more money is donated.
7The World Food Program said that fuel costs are up, food prices are rising, fertilizer is more expensive, and all of this feeds into the worsening Afghan crisis.
8Stillhart said what makes him most angry about international restrictions on Afghanistan is that the suffering of civilians there is "man-made."
9The international community is to blame, he says, for its decision to place sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban leaders.
10The return to power of the Islamist Taliban after the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign troops caused an economic crisis.
11Afghan humanitarian needs rose to record levels following the more than 20 years of war and a long, widespread period of dry weather.
12The international community has refused to give diplomatic recognition to the Taliban government.
13Human rights activists condemn its treatment of females.
14The Taliban banned women from most paid employment and restricted education for most females.
15Lack of international recognition resulted in a freeze of several billion dollars in yearly foreign assistance to Afghanistan.
16The U.S. has also blocked the Taliban from $10 billion worth of Afghan money and property.
17The sanctions have made it very difficult for the Taliban to pay workers or import needed goods.
18Stillhart said that recent resolutions from the U.N. and general economic sanctions have caused donors to reconsider the assistance they provide.
19That has resulted, he said, in a slowdown of live-saving help to civilians.
20On Monday, the ICRC launched an effort to support 18 Afghan medical centers and their 5,100 employees.
21The aid group is paying for operational costs and providing medical supplies.
22The ICRC says it plans to continue the effort for six months.
23Dominik Stillman says the future of medical care and education in Afghanistan are dependent upon international support.
24"States must engage with Afghanistan.
25This is the only way to prevent a total collapse of essential services like health care and education.
26Political considerations should not interfere with humanitarian action," Stillhart said.
27Experts say Washington and other Western governments have few good choices in dealing with Afghanistan.
28They can either try to work with the Taliban or they can watch the crisis worsen, destroying gains made from 20 years of development efforts.
29Stillhart is urging donors to find "creative solutions" to save the lives of millions of Afghans.
30He told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the economic sanctions "meant to punish those in power in Kabul are instead freezing millions of people across Afghanistan out of the basics they need to survive."
31Sanctions on banking services hurt the economy and make it hard to deliver aid, he said.
32In October, the group of leading economies known as the G-20 discussed the crisis in Afghanistan.
33They agreed to look for a way to provide more aid that can be protected from Taliban misuse.
34One member, the European Union, announced it would provide $1.15 billion in aid for Afghanistan.
35Earlier this month, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said aid should reach Afghanistan and the neighboring countries before cold weather sets in.
36He called the international reaction to the suffering of Afghans "really pitiful."
37I'm Jill Robbins.
1A Red Cross official has sharply criticized the continuation of sanctions and freezes in international aid to Afghanistan. The official says the measures are preventing the delivery of basic services to the population. 2Dominik Stillhart is the director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He released a statement Monday about his six-day visit to field hospitals in Afghanistan. He described the suffering he saw of hungry children and the anguish of their parents. 3The United Nations says more than half of Afghanistan's estimated 40 million population is likely to go hungry this winter unless more money is donated. The World Food Program said that fuel costs are up, food prices are rising, fertilizer is more expensive, and all of this feeds into the worsening Afghan crisis. 4Stillhart said what makes him most angry about international restrictions on Afghanistan is that the suffering of civilians there is "man-made." The international community is to blame, he says, for its decision to place sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban leaders. 5The return to power of the Islamist Taliban after the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign troops caused an economic crisis. Afghan humanitarian needs rose to record levels following the more than 20 years of war and a long, widespread period of dry weather. 6The international community has refused to give diplomatic recognition to the Taliban government. Human rights activists condemn its treatment of females. The Taliban banned women from most paid employment and restricted education for most females. 7Lack of international recognition resulted in a freeze of several billion dollars in yearly foreign assistance to Afghanistan. The U.S. has also blocked the Taliban from $10 billion worth of Afghan money and property. The sanctions have made it very difficult for the Taliban to pay workers or import needed goods. 8Stillhart said that recent resolutions from the U.N. and general economic sanctions have caused donors to reconsider the assistance they provide. That has resulted, he said, in a slowdown of live-saving help to civilians. 9On Monday, the ICRC launched an effort to support 18 Afghan medical centers and their 5,100 employees. The aid group is paying for operational costs and providing medical supplies. The ICRC says it plans to continue the effort for six months. 10'Creative solutions' needed 11Dominik Stillman says the future of medical care and education in Afghanistan are dependent upon international support. 12"States must engage with Afghanistan. This is the only way to prevent a total collapse of essential services like health care and education. Political considerations should not interfere with humanitarian action," Stillhart said. 13Experts say Washington and other Western governments have few good choices in dealing with Afghanistan. They can either try to work with the Taliban or they can watch the crisis worsen, destroying gains made from 20 years of development efforts. 14Stillhart is urging donors to find "creative solutions" to save the lives of millions of Afghans. He told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the economic sanctions "meant to punish those in power in Kabul are instead freezing millions of people across Afghanistan out of the basics they need to survive." 15Sanctions on banking services hurt the economy and make it hard to deliver aid, he said. 16'Really pitiful' reaction 17In October, the group of leading economies known as the G-20 discussed the crisis in Afghanistan. They agreed to look for a way to provide more aid that can be protected from Taliban misuse. 18One member, the European Union, announced it would provide $1.15 billion in aid for Afghanistan. 19Earlier this month, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said aid should reach Afghanistan and the neighboring countries before cold weather sets in. He called the international reaction to the suffering of Afghans "really pitiful." 20I'm Jill Robbins. 21Ayaz Gul and Jamie Dettmer reported on this story for VOA News, with some material from Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 22__________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24sanctions - n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country - usually plural 25anguish - n. extreme suffering, grief, or pain 26engage with - phrasal verb. to give attention to something: to deal with 27essential - adj. extremely important and necessary 28pitiful - adj. causing feelings of dislike or disgust by not being enough or not being good enough 29What do you think of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.