Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis: UN's Inability To Take Any Concrete Action Against Taliban - Here's Why

There is nothing much that the United Nations can do about the Afghanistan case. The UN's task is to just bring peace.

Red Cross volunteers talk with Afghan nationals upon their arrival onboard a first Spanish Air Force Airbus A400M carrying "just over 50 people" on board early on August 19, 2021. | AFP

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New Delhi: The world fraternity formed an organisation - the United Nations (UN) - 76 years ago after two World Wars, to avert any future global crisis. In a structured approach, the UN can only take a concrete step if veto-powered countries agree to do so. In the case of the Taliban, the UN is helpless and cannot take any action for now but just make an appeal.

Countries with veto power are the US, France, UK, Russia, and China. These countries do not share the same opinion about the Taliban.

It is also important to know here that the UN does not directly interfere in preventing war in any country. If things have worsened, the UN cannot do anything unless all parties are willing to treat the world body as the final authority on settlement. The UN is just a peacekeeper, it cannot enforce peace. 

One important fact is that the role of the UN in Afghanistan is undermined due to previous intervention of veto countries like Russia and the United States.

Humanitarian Crisis In Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, the head of the UN Food Agency said that after the Taliban's occupation a humanitarian crisis has come up where 14 million people are facing starvation.

Afghanistan's current political turmoil, the country's worst drought in three years, and the economic impact due to the Covid pandemic have already made the situation from bad to worse.

More than 40 percent of the crops have been destroyed and livestock affected due to drought. With the onset of winter and as the Taliban comes into power, hundreds and thousands have been displaced creating another crisis for the nation.

Mary Ellen McGrathy, Director United Nations Food Agency in Afghanistan, has appealed to bring an end to the conflict and urged donors to provide $200 million in order to provide food to the country.