KABUL, 14 September 2021, (TON): A United Nations-convened conference on aid to Afghanistan is set to take place in Geneva. The world body is appealing for more than $600 million for Afghanistan to prevent a looming humanitarian catastrophe in the country.

About 18 million Afghans were reliant on foreign aid even before the Taliban seized control of the country last month. The number could rise due to drought and shortages of cash and food.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told journalists “at the present moment the UN is not even able to pay salaries to its own workers.”

Senior UN officials, including Guterres, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer and dozens of government representatives are attending the conference. The UN World Food Program will use about a third of the $606 million funding being sought for the conflict-devastated country.

A recent WFP survey found that 93% of the Afghans were not consuming enough food, largely because of financial reasons. Taliban leaders have reportedly assured the International Committee of the Red Cross that it could continue its humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.