The United Nations’ Ultimate “Litmus Test” of Afghanistan
Sojourned in an era where every second questions the very existence of humanitarianism, where it takes millions of voices to silence gunfire, and with nations “washing their hands off” incessant cries of existential needs, Afghanistan and her crisis ushers in the definition of humanitarian harmony and equity under a speculative label. An encapsulation which has the potential to serve as an ultimatum with the strings of the United Nations on Afghanistan wavering, the time bomb can only be halted with a sole solution. Bringing to us more on this is Perspectoverse’s Raeeka Sengupta.
The 1950s had ingrained the cornerstone for Afghanistan’s precariousness, now accentuated by the calamitous insurgence mobilised by the Taliban and seasoned by the din of wavering global politics. The annals of Actuality state how Afghanistan’s ulterior incentive was to mould itself into an urbanized nation-state; the vision of which was illicitly formulated by emperor Zahid Shah, who was subsequently made to be an iconoclast by President Mohammad Daoud Khan.
Vestiges of unrest since 2001 can be traced in order to estimate an approximate magnitude of casualties. Afghan security forces, comprising the innocent as well as the incorrigible, have been equated to have faced a casualty of 69,000; booting the toll prevails the incessant assassination of 51,000 civilians and militants. Scholars hailing from Brown University declared the same, post intensive research.
Veering our speculation to the present is crucial. Endorsing peaceful yet implicit machinations is the sole tonality which must be employed – the success of which can essentially be a godsent. With insurmountable costs, indelible insufficiencies in market schemes and skidding GDPs, the ultimate entity which nations can account for is a war, be it a Cold one or that of reverberating annihilations.
The frenzied onslaught for flights and escapades has subsided, yet the deepening chasms of humanitarian and economic crises prevail. “Now more than ever, Afghan children, women and men need the support and solidarity of the international community”, advocated Antonio Guterres, the UN’s Secretary-General. The United Nations’ stance is momentarily conducive to the situation, as “several senior UN officials restated their commitment to stay and deliver urgently needed supplies to the millions in the country who need humanitarian aid to survive.” (UN News)
Jens Laerke, the honourable spokesperson of the UN’s Humanitarian Affairs office, revealed that the operations were under process, followed by the fact that the UN had already assisted 8 million people this year. Subsequently, there is a probability that the organization will currently face paucities in resources.
Their gruelling endeavours have also been avowed to have been impeded by the now Taliban- administered nation; Laerke acquiesced to the estimation, saying, “The $1.3 billion funding requirement had not been sufficiently met and there is a lack of supplies.”
While responding to some interrogations from Genevan journalists, representative agents from the United Nations’ refugee assistance sector, reiterated its pleas to adjacent and neighbouring States to permit their borders to be assailed by those fleeing Afghanistan.
An estimated 3.5 million people are inextricably displaced within the county and teeming multitudes of those wishing to cross borders into countries such as Pakistan or Iran may not be equipped with the prerequisite documents, emphasised UNHCR spokesperson, Andrej Mahecic.
It was also stated that those who had not explicitly voiced their intention to relocate or have not “expressed a clear intention to seek asylum” while changing borders, they “nevertheless have international protection needs” and “may not be able to cross without passports and visa documentation.”
“Hence our call on the countries neighbouring Afghanistan to keep their borders open and allow those who may be at risk to seek safety.” (Andrej Mahecic, UNHCR Spokesperson)
Pakistan has been one of those nations to have been applauded by the UN for sheltering 1.5 million refugees. The UN’s incentive to succour Afghanistan’s neighbours to be conducive to refugees, is nonetheless contradicted by the hefty consequences it entails, and the “pressure” or “unrest” probably created.
The most tender age group below and of 15 years, spans over 47% of the population in Afghanistan: “Ensuring the protection of children from harm and including their voices and needs is critical to sustainable peace and development in Afghanistan,” opinionated Virginia Gamba, Special Representative for children rendered victims in armed conflict, and Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Representative tackling physical abuse against children.
The ulterior goal is to empower girls and women from this segment of society, distributing awareness against sexual undermining or violence against them, and to provide them with opportunities. They further urged the Taliban to ensure the respect and protection of humanitarian aid and personnel, as over 10 million children across Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the United Nations on the ground. Pinning the needle on the coffin, they declared, “The children of Afghanistan have suffered enough.”
With the paucity of revealed and documented schemes of administration from the Taliban (inclusive of the extent to which the implementation of the interpretative Sharia law will occur), women activists are globally on tenterhooks with the prospect of discriminate prerogatives being severed from the women in Afghanistan.
The million- dollar aspect lies in the decoding of the Taliban’s de facto representatives’ adjudication of “within the framework of Islam”, apropos arriving at the juncture of relieving women from the clutches of dogmas.
“The 2004 Afghan Constitution”, ejaculated Ms. Patten, “called for women’s participation in the political life of the country, and in 2015 the country adopted a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security based on a UN resolution.” Ms. Patten insisted that these undeniable commitments should be acted upon immediately.
“Afghan women’s rights activists have fought for their rights and have made considerable progress”, continued Ms. Patten. “These hard-won gains cannot be reversed. The Taliban’s “actions” for or against women will ultimately preordain the nature of the “litmus test” of Afghanistan.
The evolving of the Afghan community during the tenure of the past two decades, though with a dwindled pace, must at no cost be negated. Our orientation, as citizens of the world, is to advocate for unveiling the diminishing status of every Afghan woman, serve as a mouthpiece for every tyrannized father, mother, daughter, son and orphan in Afghanistan. As the youth, we must pledge to hold hands with our mothers, fathers, and siblings of Afghanistan; and extend succouring hands in every pathway possible, effectually channelised through the United Nations.
Written by Raeeka Sengupta
Illustrated by Ayushi Banerjee
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Absolutely love this :))