The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that a 40 percent reduction in the budget of humanitarian agencies affiliated with the organization compared to last year has severely affected the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and exacerbated the crisis in the country.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Tom Fletcher stated in a press conference that Afghanistan, along with Congo, is among the countries hardest hit by budget cuts; we have only received less than 12 percent of our required budget.
He added that recent earthquakes in the country have affected about half a million people, killed thousands, and destroyed many homes.
Fletcher also expressed concern about the ban on women working in UN-affiliated agencies in Afghanistan and called the role of female aid workers vital in providing humanitarian assistance.
He emphasized that the pressure on female aid workers is unbearable and that it is not possible to carry out humanitarian missions without their presence.
