- In the worst-case scenario, the United Nations is preparing for the possibility of as many as 500,000 refugees fleeing Afghanistan.
- Even before the Taliban came to power, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated drastically.
- The United Nations on Friday presented a plan to UN agencies and partner NGOs to prepare for and respond to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.
The United Nations said on Friday that by the end of 2021, as many as 1 million refugees may have fled from violence-torn Afghanistan.
The organization stated that there are currently no large numbers of people fleeing the Afghan border, but added that as the country’s crisis deepens, it is developing contingency plans to change the situation.
“The humanitarian emergency is currently happening in Afghanistan,” Kelly Clements, Deputy High Commissioner of the United Nations Refugee Agency, told reporters.
But “this is obviously a very dynamic situation,” she said, explaining that UNHCR is planning a variety of different situations, including large-scale exoduses.
“We are preparing for approximately 500,000 new refugees in the area. This is the worst-case scenario,” she said.
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She particularly emphasized the need to strengthen support for neighboring countries that have taken in more than 2.2 million Afghan refugees, and these countries will soon see an influx of new refugees.
Even before the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan nearly two weeks ago, the humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated drastically.
Half of the population already needs humanitarian assistance, and it is estimated that half of all children under five are severely malnourished.
The United Nations on Friday presented a plan to UN agencies and partner NGOs to prepare for and respond to the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.
It urgently appealed for nearly US$300 million in funding for the program.
Clements said:
We call on all neighboring countries of Afghanistan to keep their borders open so that those who seek safety can find safety.
She said that Iran and Pakistan, in particular, collectively host 90% of the Afghan refugees in the region, and about 3 million other Afghans who do not have refugee status, “will need a lot of support.”
UNHCR stated that the surge in violence since the beginning of the year has also prompted nearly 560,000 Afghans to flee the country and join the ranks of the approximately 2.9 million internally displaced persons registered in Afghanistan by the end of 2020.
By 2021, more than 80% of the displaced will be women and children.
