The Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in Cairo, on Tuesday, that the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan wanted UN workers to remain in the country.
Richard Brennan said “they have made it clear that the UN should stay’’ adding that high-level negotiations about the future of UN aid and health workers were ongoing.
According to WHO website, health workers had been called to return to/remain at their posts, including female health staff members.
However, some female health staff members are not returning to their posts and some have resigned their positions due to the ongoing insecurity.
The WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system.
The Taliban’s seizure of power just over a week ago has severely affected the work of humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan.
Some 500 tons of pharmaceuticals cannot be delivered because commercial flights are currently not allowed to land in Afghanistan.
Even before the current crisis, Afghanistan was the third largest humanitarian catastrophe in the world, according to the UN.
Some 18 million people about half of the populations are in need of humanitarian aid.
The coronavirus pandemic
has exacerbated the situation. (dpa/NAN)
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