Afghan people may face extreme poverty by mid-2022: UN body

“Afghanistan is a country of almost 40 million people, nearly all of whom may fall into extreme poverty by mid-2022 if no action is taken immediately to address the simultaneous humanitarian, economic and political crises,” the IOM said its report “IOM’s PLACES in Afghanistan: Building Resilience Amid Crisis”.

The statement said the essential services of the country are deteriorating.

Prices of basic goods have risen whereas employment opportunities continue to fade away. A massive cash shortage is also emerging across the nation due to a severely disrupted banking system, it said.

The statement, however, did not put much stress on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Strengthening the resilience of the communities in Afghanistan, as well as attaining the abrupt humanitarian needs is required for putting a stop to further collapse, the IOM statement said, adding that reviving the socio-economic gains of the last two decades, besides laying the groundwork for recovery, reducing humanitarian needs is urgent.

Afghanistan is also facing the problem of displacement. Currently, 5.5 million people have been reported as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including the people living in protracted situations. Over 680,000 are newly displaced due to conflict in 2021, the statement said.

This is in addition to 1.1 million unregistered Afghan returnees from Iran and Pakistan in 2021 alone, the report added.

IOM has been serving in Afghanistan since 1992 to support its people, especially the most vulnerable sections.