Turkmenistan called for convening an international conference on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan under the auspices of the UN. The proposal of the country at the Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad was voiced by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiev, Orient reports.
In addition, Hhajiev, in his speech, confirmed Turkmenistan's readiness to interact with all interested parties and proposed to create an OIC working group on humanitarian issues in Afghanistan.
An extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was fully devoted to the situation in Afghanistan. In addition to the member countries of the organization, the meeting was attended by representatives of the UN and international financial institutions, as well as world powers, including the United States, the European Union and Japan. Afghanistan was represented at the meeting by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Han Muttaki.
Overall, representatives of 57 OIC member states pledged to play a leading role in delivering humanitarian aid to the Afghan people and unanimously agreed to establish a Humanitarian Trust Fund under the auspices of the Islamic Development Bank, launch a Food Security Program and work with the World Health Organization to provide Afghanistan with vaccines and medical supplies. The Associated Press of Pakistan reports.
The UN estimates that some 22.8 million Afghans are currently facing severe food insecurity, while 3.2 million Afghan children are at risk of severe malnutrition, and the situation is getting worse every day. The situation became even more aggravated with the onset of winter. According to experts, it could develop into the world's largest humanitarian crisis.
