For the Sake of Every Afghan We Now Hope for a Peaceful Transition
By Mary Ellen McGroarty, head of the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) office in Afghanistan
As another dawn breaks on the barren, dusty mountain ranges that surround Kabul, my mind is at work already. The events of the past few days, since the Taliban took over the capital, replay in my head – the gunshots, the anxiety of our Afghan colleagues. These are scary, unpredictable times.
We knew things were going to change with the withdrawal of foreign troops but the pace at which everything happened took us all by surprise. We have operated in Taliban-held areas for many years, and the Taliban has given assurances that the U.N. World Food Programme will be allowed to continue its work. But there are still a lot of unknowns.
We knew things were going to change with the withdrawal of foreign troops but the pace at which everything happened took us all by surprise.
“The past days have been heavy with worry, but I know that our humanitarian work must continue.”
What troubles me the most is the thought of the millions of people across Afghanistan who depend on our assistance. Decades of conflict, severe consecutive droughts caused by climate change and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed this beautiful, tormented country to the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe. As we head into another harsh Afghan winter, one out of three people already struggle to put food on the table. Two million children are undernourished. Uncertainty casts a long shadow on our ability to continue our lifesaving work.
And then there are our Afghan colleagues. A 450-strong team of men and women – leaders in their community, working with the U.N. World Food Programme in service to their fellow citizens. I cannot admire them more as even under this duress, our national staff continue to turn up to work, and – as it’s safe to do so – ensure the continued delivery of food to those who need it most.
For the sake of every Afghan girl and boy, woman and man, we now hope for a peaceful transition. This country has been suffering far too long. We need the U.N. World Food Programme and other humanitarian agencies to continue their vital work, to reach those who are most in need – families displaced by conflict, farmers who lost their crops, people whose jobs were swept away by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the sake of every Afghan girl and boy, woman and man, we now hope for a peaceful transition. This country has been suffering far too long.
14 million Afghans are hungry due to conflict, drought and the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
These people – ensuring they have enough to eat in the present and a better future to look forward to – are the very reason why we have been in Afghanistan for the past six decades and plan to keep standing with our Afghan friends. We never take sides, we steer clear of political, economic or military considerations, we just provide support to those who need it, wherever they may be. In the first six months of 2021, we delivered food and nutrition assistance to 5.5 million people, including people who fled their homes during the recent fighting. As they started to pour into Kabul from other provinces early this month, we began sending mobile teams across the city to assist them.
We never take sides, we steer clear of political, economic or military considerations, we just provide support to those who need it, wherever they may be.
The past days have been heavy with worry, but I know that our humanitarian work must continue. And I hope the international community will step up its support to the humanitarian response. The U.N. World Food Programme needs $200 million urgently – our food is due to run out in October, exactly the same time whatever food left over from the last harvest begins to dwindle, and the winter begins to set in.
The past days have been heavy with worry, but I know that our humanitarian work must continue.
Irish writer Dervla Murphy once wrote of Herat, though I feel is emblematic of the country as a whole: “(Afghanistan) is as old as history and as moving as a great epic poem.” The people of Afghanistan have a continuity that precedes war – and so they will continue through this period too. But to do so, they need us to stand with them. Perhaps more than ever.
This blog originally appeared on WFP’s Stories . To support our emergency response in Afghanistan and help us send lifesaving food to vulnerable Afghan families in need, click here.
