PRESS BRIEFING BY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, worsened by drought, required urgent action to prevent a catastrophe, Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told correspondents at Headquarters today as he briefed them on his recent trip to that country.

Mr. Oshima was in Afghanistan and Pakistan from 13 through 15 February, acting on the Secretary-General's request to look at the current crisis and to mobilize donor funds for it.

He was shocked by what he saw, he said.  The plight of tens of thousands of displaced persons, in camps in the west and northeast, was particularly distressing.  "What I witnessed in those camps", he said, "was what I would describe as a sea of humanity in unbelievable misery, destitution, and indignity".

He said he feared that there were hundreds of thousands of people more, in worse conditions, in their home districts.  In the recent months, over half a million Afghans had recently become displaced, and the livelihood of millions of farmers had been destroyed.  That was in addition to the millions suffering from long-term deterioration, caused the most grinding poverty imaginable, and the millions killed or abused by warring factions.

"The worst drought in more than 30 years, coupled with the combined effects of 22 years of war, the abuse of human rights, and the incredibly high levels of destitution and vulnerability in the entire population has created an unfolding humanitarian crisis which can develop into a real catastrophe unless it is urgently addressed", he said, describing the assessment he presented to the Secretary-General and the donor community.

He advocated a two-fold humanitarian response.  Life-saving, short-term support was needed for the internally displaced and refugees in the camps, in the form of food, shelter, medicine and other necessities.  Assistance was also needed by people in villages, towns, and farms.  Providing that latter aid could keep those people from becoming displaced, and could encourage those in the camps to return home. 

To raise the necessary funds, he said, he spoke to the donor community in Islamabad and Geneva and would soon approach donors in New York and various national capitals.  The funding required for the year 2001 would be approximately $250 million -- the minimum needed to keep the situation from turning into a catastrophe.  He also asked for support for the estimated 175,000 new Afghan refugees who had recently fled to Pakistan.

Though his mission was purely humanitarian in nature, he added, he had felt obliged to speak out on the political situation, since so much of the misery he witnessed was caused by the war.  Speaking to faction leaders in Kabul and Faizabad, he made it clear that peace was the only solution to the humanitarian crisis. 

In addition, he told them that killings of civilians must stop.  He impressed on them that since their primary responsibility was to the lives of ordinary Afghans, it was unacceptable that scarce resources were being diverted to the fighting.  He said that he also told the Taliban that certain of their practices, regarding women especially, were blocking relations with the donor community.

A correspondent asked about the level of his contacts in the Taliban and in the opposition.  Mr. Oshima replied that the Taliban officials he spoke to in Kabul were the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Deputy Minister in Charge of Public Health, and the minister in charge of repatriation.  In Faizabad, he had a session with President Rabbani but a scheduled meeting with General Massud did not occur.  He also had an interesting meeting with the governor of Herat.

Another correspondent asked how the Taliban responded to his comments about their policies on women.  He said that they claimed they strongly supported education, including that of women, and that the real situation was different than what was being said.  Things would also begin to change, they said, when stability returned.

Asked to what extent the Taliban were aiding or impeding relief efforts, Mr. Oshima said he had been told by aid workers that there were a number of difficulties on the ground.  He had proposed creating a working group with the Taliban to deal with them.  They had agreed in principle, but would not accept inclusion of representatives from the Northern Alliance.  Aside from uncooperative faction members, difficulties included geography, fighting, and a limited United Nations capacity.  The lack of cooperation could be coming from the ground level, since the people at the top had assured free access.

A correspondent asked about the response, so far, to the request for funds, and who the prospective donors were.  Mr. Oshima replied that no specific announcements had been made yet, but the matter was under positive consideration, he had been told, by several donors.  The donors involved were mainly national governments and some other groups who were concerned by the Afghan situation.

Finally, a correspondent wondered if the diplomats and bureaucrats at United Nations Headquarters had become inured to misery in the camps and didn't appreciate what was happening to ordinary people in such situations.  Mr. Oshima said that, yes, it was necessary to go to the field to see such things.  He was pleased, however, to note that there were a few members of the media accompanying him on his trip.  The Taliban authorities, seeing an opportunity, had allowed them access to camps and other, usually off-limits, locations.

Concluding his remarks, Mr. Oshima recalled asking a woman in the camps if there was anything else that the United Nations could do to help them.  "Her reply" he said, "was simple and short:  'Bring us peace'".

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