Antonio Guterres calls for more funding for UN's Afghanistan humanitarian response plan

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that Afghanistan faces the largest humanitarian crisis in today's world, while calling for more funding for the UN humanitarian response plan. The UN chief made the remarks during a press conference in the Qatari capital of Doha following a two-day closed-door meeting on Afghanistan with special envoys from more than 20 countries and international organizations, including Russia, and the United States.

Currently, 97 percent of the population in



Afghanistan is living in poverty, while two-thirds of the population require humanitarian assistance to survive this year, Guterres said. He warned that the UN's Humanitarian Response Plan, which seeks 4.6 billion U.S. dollars in funding, has only received 294 million dollars, with a 94-percent shortfall. 

Guterres also emphasized that the meeting was about developing a common international approach and not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities.