NEW YORK, 02 September 2021, (TON): The United Nations chief urged all nations to help the people of Afghanistan “in their darkest hour of need,” saying that almost half the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive and the country faces the threat of basic services collapsing completely.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “grave concern at the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country.”

In a statement on the first day of Taliban rule after the withdrawal of the last US forces from Afghanistan.

He offered some grim statistics of the looming “humanitarian catastrophe” 18 million Afghans need aid to survive, one in three don’t know where their next meal will come from, over half of all children under age 5 are expected to become “acutely malnourished” in the next year, and every day people are losing access to basic goods and services.

Guterres said “amid a severe drought and with harsh winter conditions on the horizon, extra food, shelter and health supplies must be urgently fast-tracked into the country.”

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the current $1.3 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan is only 39% funded. Guterres said a new emergency appeal for the next four months is expected next week. “For us,” Dujarric said, “the day after is just another day in Kabul. We’ve been present in Afghanistan for over 60 years, and we are remaining and standing shoulder to shoulder with the Afghan people.”

He said “a UN assessment team went out in Kabul. While aid operations have not been able to resume in the capital, he said, a World Health Organization plane with supplies was able to land in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north and the World Food Program has also been able to resume operations in the country.