Women and girls make up 60% of those facing food insecurity in Afghanistan, UN says
The UN Women agency has warned that women and girls account for 60% of people at risk of food insecurity in Afghanistan. It says that with tensions in the Middle East escalating, the food security of another 11.7 million women and girls in 28 countries is threatened by the end of this year.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, warned in a news conference in Geneva about the consequences of these tensions. She said the newly estimated figure adds to 208 million women and girls who were already facing food insecurity or malnutrition in these countries before the escalation.
According to the agency’s report, disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have raised the cost of energy, fertilizer and transport, leading to higher food prices. At the same time, the situation has put pressure on humanitarian operations, labour markets and remittance flows.
The United Nations says women and girls account for 60% of those exposed to food insecurity in Afghanistan, more than 57% in Yemen and nearly 56% in Sudan. It also says around 95% of women in Afghanistan and Yemen have no independent income or formal participation in the labour market; more than 80% of working women in Afghanistan and South Sudan are also employed in precarious and vulnerable jobs.
The report adds that in Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Yemen, fewer than one in five women have access to a bank account or mobile money account. The UN has called on the international community to support women’s livelihoods and food security, direct resources to more vulnerable areas, and ensure aid reaches women before the agricultural seasons begin.
