KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan citizens have called on the United Nations to prioritize addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan during the third round of the Doha meeting.
They argue that Afghanistan has plunged into severe poverty and unemployment over the past three years under Taliban rule. Women who are the primary breadwinners for their families have voiced particular concern over their deteriorating economic conditions.
Arizo, a former employee of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, now works in private homes to make ends meet for her family. “Due to bad economic conditions and poverty, I work in people’s homes so that my children do not go hungry,” said Arizo, who has five children. “One of my children has left school, and the other has also dropped out. This is my life. I am ill, and on some days, I feel so unwell that I cannot go to work. We are desperate and rely on this meeting to change our situation.”
Weeks after taking control of the country, the Taliban dissolved the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, replacing it with the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
Fariba, a 42-year-old woman, has also been suffering from poverty and hardship with her two children. Her husband, a former soldier of the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces, has been missing for a long time. Fariba expressed hope that the Doha meeting would provide a fundamental solution to women’s problems. “Our request from the international community is to help us. We have no jobs. For three years, we have endured homelessness and dire problems. If the international community helps us, it would alleviate much of our suffering,” she said.
Residents of Kabul have also expressed frustration over increasing poverty and unemployment, calling on the international community to assist the people of Afghanistan in alleviating these challenges. “The people are poor. Their hope is pinning on the UN. They are desperate for a piece of bread. The conditions are very bad. There is a lot of poverty and no work,” a Kabul resident stated.
The UN has reported that 85 percent of Afghanistan’s population lives below the poverty line, with three in ten children facing hunger. According to the World Food Programme, four million people, including 3.2 million children under five, are suffering from acute malnutrition in Afghanistan.
