UN Security Council to review Afghanistan crisis as WFP warns of ‘perfect storm’

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a session on 10 December in New York to examine Afghanistan’s worsening human rights and humanitarian conditions, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

UNAMA wrote on Sunday that the session will begin at 10h00 New York time, adding, “HEADS UP, The UN Security Council will hold a session on the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday, 10 December, starting at 10h00 in New York (19:30 Kabul local).”

Council members are expected to assess a wide set of political, human rights, economic and social challenges facing the country. According to previous UNSC briefings, more than 29 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance, with international agencies warning that women and girls face some of the world’s most severe rights restrictions.

Aid organisations say humanitarian needs have sharply increased ahead of winter. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Carl Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), warned that hunger levels are rising to record heights. Summarising the scale of the crisis, he said the agency cannot meet needs due to funding shortages, adding, “Hunger in Afghanistan is deepening with food insecurity and malnutrition worsening at an alarming pace. Due to funding cuts, the organisation is only able to provide assistance to two million out of the ten million people in Afghanistan who are in need of food aid.”

He added that winter conditions are worsening the situation, warning that malnutrition among women and children is set to rise to levels not seen in recent years, describing the hardship as a “perfect storm”.

The Afghan de-facto authorities have repeatedly dismissed international meetings assessing Afghanistan, saying outcomes “lack legitimacy” because Afghanistan is not included. Afghan officials continue to urge countries to engage directly with their administration.

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