UNITED NATIONS, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations humanitarian response plan for assisting people in need across Afghanistan is poorly funded, a UN spokesman said Wednesday.
"This year, there are 6.3 million people in need across Afghanistan. The Humanitarian Response Plan is seeking 612 million U.S. dollars, but it is only 27 percent funded," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at the daily news briefing.
"Today, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) released 19.5 million U.S. dollars to assist 500,000 people in need of emergency food and other critical support," he said.
The AHF is one of the country-based pooled funds of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It was established in 2014 for swift and strategic humanitarian action in Afghanistan.
"Conflict continues unabated in Afghanistan with devastating consequences for the population... Aid agencies are running out of funds to continue their life-saving work," Toby Lanzer, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country, was quoted as saying.
The funds (of 612 million U.S. dollars) will enable non-governmental organizations and UN agencies to provide education for 41,000 children, integrated with protection, water, sanitation and hygiene services, said Haq.
"The funds will also provide shelter and core relief items for nearly 98,000 people, food and agriculture support, therapeutic foods to treat severe acute malnutrition in children, and services that help nearly 92,000 survivors of gender-based violence," he added.
