Kabul, Afghanistan (BBN)- The United Nations humanitarian chief has called on donors and humanitarian agencies to give continued support to the people of Afghanistan, stressing that there is still much to do during the country’s transition period.
“Much has been achieved over the past decade, but there is still much more to do,” said the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos. “There are five million Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries and a significant number of people are still internally displaced.”
Ms. Amos, who arrived in Kabul on Tuesday to assess the country’s humanitarian situation, emphasized that the period of transition will require careful management, a UN press statement said.
“Although overall international assistance is expected to reduce, we must continue to mobilize resources to help those in acute need,” she said. “We need to balance support for the security sector with a very strong emphasis on basic service delivery, development and governance.”
Earlier on the day, Ms. Amos met with Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili, with whom she discussed the challenges faced by the population that has been affected by conflict and natural disasters. Ms. Amos is also scheduled to meet with other government representatives and humanitarian partners throughout her four day visit.
Referring to her meeting with Vice President Khalili, Ms. Amos underlined that the government and humanitarian partners need to focus on ways of providing more effective relief to natural disasters as well as working to build the longer term resilience of local communities.
BBN/SSR/AD-09May12-1:30 pm (BST)
