The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met with Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohamed and discussed the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, Qatar Foreign Ministry said.

Amina Mohammad is on a visit to Qatar.

According to the statement, the two sides reviewed developments in Afghanistan and discussed the coordination of efforts between Qatar and the United Nations in Afghanistan.

“We reiterate Qatar’s humanitarian commitment to Afghanistan, and our firm stance in supporting the Afghan people and their right to live in dignity,” Abdulrahman al-Thani said on his Twitter.

“Qatar’s deep relations with major powers in the world can play an important role in the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,” said Sayed Jawad Sijadi.

This comes as the UN in a statement called for international attention to 11 crises in 2023 that also includes Afghanistan.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the 11 crises are in addition to Ukraine.

Most of them are driven by conflict and climate shocks, compounded by pre-existing vulnerability and inadequate access to services, the UN added. 

“The aid that the international community has paid over the past 18 months in Afghanistan is humanitarian and the halt in this aid will have a direct impact on the people of Afghanistan, who are unfortunately in bad economic conditions,” said Mir Shakib Mir, an economic affairs analyst. 

The Ministry of Economy said that the UN agencies’ aid is important for the economy and food insecurity in Afghanistan. 

“The continuation of humanitarian operations by the UN with the focus on sectors that can create jobs and improve livelihoods of our countrymen are important as they were affected by the freezing of the country’s assets, financial and banking restrictions as well as climate change,” said Abdul Rahman Habib, a spokesman for the ministry. 

According to OCHA’s earlier report, at least 20 million Afghans will be facing acute hunger until March 2023 in Afghanistan.