UN Representative: Without Funding, Afghan Earthquake Survivors Face a Harsh Winter

KABUL (Kokcha.News) —** During her visit to earthquake-affected areas in eastern Afghanistan, Rosa Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, urged international donors to take immediate action to support those impacted by the disaster.

Otunbayeva emphasized that the UN requires $139 million to assist affected communities and warned that without this funding, thousands of families will face severe hardships this winter.

The UN representative also highlighted the critical role of women in the aid distribution process, noting that the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s employment have disrupted the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

This comes as the Taliban recently barred female staff from entering UN offices in Afghanistan, leading to the suspension of aid distribution for returnees.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has called on the Taliban to lift this ban, as such restrictions severely threaten the humanitarian aid process.