Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, talked about Afghanistan to the CGTN TV Channel, saying that the humanitarian response alone is not enough to solve the challenges of the country.  

Griffiths expressed concerns over the severe humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, saying that 19 million people remained food insecure with 6.6 million of them at emergency level of food insecurity, which is the “largest number in one single country in the world today.” 

“We have less than half of the funding needed to help these people,” he said, adding that 25 million people are living in poverty up from 20 million in 2016. 

To resolve the current Afghan challenges, Griffiths said that the country’s economy must be supported, full banking must be restored and reconnected with the international financial system, as well as basic services such as health and water must be strengthened and preserved.  

“We need to restore women and girls' and human rights” he said. "Girls must have access to secondary education and beyond ... restrictions on women also affect their ability to access life-saving assistance.” 

He said that Afghanistan is facing its worst drought in 30 years.  

“In the past five weeks, deadly earthquakes and flash floods claimed more than 1,000 lives and destroyed thousands of homes,” he said.  

He said that the UN has reached out to 85 percent of the people affected by the earthquake.