UN Says Over $730Mln Needed To Respond To Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs In 2020

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2020) The United Nations and other agencies require $733 million to address the humanitarian needs of more than seven million people in Afghanistan this year, UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko told Sputnik.

"The United Natsions and other humanitarian organizations will need $733 million to reach 7.1 million people in need in 2020 in Afghanistan," Kaneko said on Tuesday.

According to the United Nations overview of the situation in Afghanistan, the total number of people who would require assistance this year will reach 9.4 million, compared to 6.3 million in 2019. The increase is due to the cumulative impacts of war, displacement, poverty, lack of jobs and emotional strength that force people to become aid-dependent.

Some 65 percent of those residents relying on aid are in severe need of such assistance, while 25 percent are challenged with an extreme level of humanitarian needs.

In July, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Afghanistan war has become the deadliest one for children in 2018, with 3,062 boys and girls losing their lives amid clashes.