THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN AFGHANISTAN
AND THE SURROUNDING REGION
6. Conclusion
115. This report has attempted to provide an analysis
of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan - a crisis which was
underway well before the events of September 11. We have looked
at the impact which September 11 had both on the humanitarian
crisis itself and on ability of the agencies to cope with it.
We have indicated some of the areas on which reconstruction plans
should focus and to which we will return in another inquiry at
a later date. The five key conclusions are that:
- the primary distribution of food has, despite
all obstacles, been delivered in adequate quantities but the
failure of the secondary distribution systems has prevented
its delivery to all those in need;
- secondary distribution been inadequate because
of the lack of security over large parts of Afghanistan.
The collapse of the Taliban did not bring the safe humanitarian
space which had been hoped for, it often substituted one security
concern for another. Banditry and lawlessness replaced military
conflict;
- local Afghan people,
particularly women, kept humanitarian and other development assistance
going during the crisis and demonstrated they should be
central to the future development of Afghanistan;
- the unwillingness of donors to match their
pledges with hard cash has resulted
in gaps in provision;
- the ability to prepare adequately has been
limited by the general underfunding of the UN agencies.
Ultimately, the success of the continuing humanitarian
relief operation depends on adequate levels of funding and crucially,
either stability returning to Afghanistan, or the provision of
security for humanitarian relief operations by the international
community. We will return to the subject of Afghanistan's reconstruction
and monitor the shift from food aid assistance to strategies for
long-term sustainable development that must ultimately ensure
Afghanistan ceases to be the poorest country in the world.
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