Spring 2022
Iowa High School Model United Nations
Social, Humanitarian, and Security
Ending the Afghan Humanitarian Crisis
Molly Scott (scottmas@gmail.com) and Rabeea Anwar (anwarr@uni.edu) Background:
Afghanistan is facing its most complex humanitarian crisis yet, resulting from the cascading impacts of four decades of conflicts and endemic poverty, and in more recent years, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and chronic foreign aid dependency. Today, 97 percent of all Afghans live below the poverty line, and one in every three Afghans (or 14 million) face severe hunger.
In the 1970s although Afghanistan relied heavily on foreign aid, displacement for protection or food security was rare. Afghans rarely abandoned their home villages in the rural regions. The country was self-sufficient in its agricultural needs and exported a variety of fresh and dried horticultural products to its immediate neighborhood and beyond.
Afghanistan’s state institutions collapsed and the once-resilient nation suffered a decline first, when the mujahideen took over in the early 1990s and later, under the Taliban. It was in 1996 when the Taliban took over the helm and began implementing strict Shariah rule that, for one, denied women and girls their basic human rights, including education and healthcare.
Afghanistan sank into deeper poverty, violence, and uncertainty. Save for the presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and some other humanitarian organizations in the country, Afghanistan seemed to have been completely isolated from the rest of the world.
The international community re-engaged with Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11, resulting in marked improvements in the country’s humanitarian situation. The Taliban regime collapsed in 2001, and the country scored progress in certain socioeconomic development indicators. Access to education, higher education, healthcare, and electricity multiplied, while improved infrastructure in both urban and rural districts enabled the Islamic Republic to respond more effectively to crises and natural disasters.
In April 2021, the Joe Biden administration announced the complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021. In effect, the Taliban were encouraged to renege on the commitments they made under the Doha Agreement, whose negotiation between the Taliban leaders and the Trump Administration—and eventual signing in February 2020—excluded the democratically elected Afghan government. For one, in return for the release of over 5,000 of their cadre who was in prison, the Taliban was supposed to reduce violence, engage in results-driven talks, prevent their released prisoners from returning to the battlefield, and commit to a comprehensive ceasefire that would pave the way for a sustainable political settlement.
None of these materialized. Instead, the Taliban escalated terrorist attacks in urban areas and launched offensives across Afghanistan shortly thereafter, in the months of May to August.
In the process, they violated the provisions of Chapter VII of the United Nations (UN) Charter. The repeated calls by the international community, including from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, to de-escalate acts of aggression and reduce violence significantly, went unheeded. At the same time, the UN Security Council failed to take punitive action under the UN Charter against the Taliban, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the country.
By mid-2021, five million Afghans had been displaced internally and 18.4 million others needed humanitarian and other assistance. Increased offensives by the Taliban forced another 600,000 Afghans to flee their homes and seek safety in Kabul and other urban areas. Compounding the crisis are the adverse impacts of climate change, especially seen in more frequent droughts that affect the livelihoods of one-third of Afghanistan; since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has also further added to the challenges.
Since 15 August 2021 when Kabul fell to the Taliban, the humanitarian crisis has further deteriorated across Afghanistan. Competent government employees have abandoned their jobs, leaving Afghanistan with an irreparable brain drain and rendering key service-delivery institutions non-functional. At the same time, most international aid organizations and diplomatic missions have closed down their development programs and evacuated their staff.
What Has Been Done / Past U.N Actions:
In 2002, the United Nations started a specialized mission strictly concerned about the evolving human rights violations and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan called, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. This mission was a result of Afghanistan now considered being a failed state, meaning even the basic functions of the government of a nation are no longer functional. The headquarters of the UNAMA is currently located in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
Between 2002 and the present-day, many organizations, nonprofits, and other organized assistance agencies have been continuing their fight for protection and assistance for the people of Afghanistan. Millions of dollars have been invested into their government operations and reforms as well as protection and guidance from large, developed countries. The United Nations has continued to express its concern and support towards the fight against the extremists that have taken control of Afghanistan's governmental positions and works toward providing Afghan citizens with a content quality of life.
On January 11, 2022, the United Nation pledged more than 5 billion dollars for Afghanistan, hoping that this assistance forces some progress towards a stable government. It leaves 22 million dollars to aid domestic interest with 5.7 million people who are in need of assistance beyond its borders.
Possible Solutions:
It should be known that the humanitarian crisis currently occupying Afghanistan has been a political situation plaguing Afghan citizens and its government for multiple decades and does not obtain a simple solution. Therefore the solution for solving the Afghanistan humanitarian crisis has multiple pathways and options for consideration. As the United Nations has previously stated, “The UN and partners launched a more than $5 billion funding appeal for Afghanistan on Tuesday, in the hope of shoring up collapsing basic services there, which have left 22 million in need of assistance inside the country, and 5.7 million people requiring help beyond its border.” Proper funding and humanitarian assistance are vital to the protection of Afghanistan’s citizens and government officials. Financial and humanitarian assistance can come from a multitude of places; developed countries and their allies, the United Nations, World Bank, etc. There are also numerous nonprofits and philanthropic organizations that could help tremendously with supplying resources and capital that could make such a difference.
Questions to Consider:
1. What are some of the root causes of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan? 2. Are there any regional responses that can be taken to help resolve this humanitarian crisis?
3. Has your country done anything in the past to help assist countries with humanitarian crises?
a. If so, what kind of assistance have they provided?
b. If not, why didn’t they provide assistance?
4. What types of organizations and campaigns have helped Afghanistan in the past?
Sources to Consult:
https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-long-road-to-finding-an-end-to-afghanistans-humanitaria n-crisis/
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/girls-education-casualty-disastrous-withdrawal-afghanistan https://thediplomat.com/2016/06/afghanistans-forgotten-humanitarian-crisis/ https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/34/Supplement_5/S215/365855?login=true https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1107902
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109492#:~:text=The%20UN%20made%20the%20largest %20ever%20humanitarian%20appeal%20for%20a%20single%20country.&text=UN%20High% 20Commissioner%20for%20Refugees,Situation%20Regional%20Refugee%20Response%20Pla n.
https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/sc14706.doc.htm
https://dppa.un.org/en/mission/unama
https://unama.unmissions.org/secretary-general-reports
https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/sg_report_on_afghanistan_january_2022.pdf https://unama.unmissions.org/secretary-general-reports