Ahead of winters, Saudi Arabia calls for OIC meeting to address Afghanistan humanitarian crisis

The Saudi Arabian government has called for an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Saudi Press Agency reported that Saudi officials have reiterated on Monday that millions of Afghans face a deteriorating humanitarian crisis this winter and are in need of assistance and aid.

the country further mentioned that it anticipates peace disruption and national as well as global instability if the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen and deteriorate in Afghanistan.

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The Pakistani government has offered to host the meeting on December 17 in its capital, Islamabad.

"We have also offered to host the meeting, in Islamabad, on 17 December 2021. We are confident that the OIC Member States will endorse this offer," said Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Saudi Arabia also stated that if the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues to deepen and deteriorate, it anticipates disruption of peace in the country and worldwide instability.

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"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as Chair of the Islamic Summit, and in line with relevant OIC decisions on Afghanistan, called upon the OIC to, urgently, convene an Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting to discuss the humanitarian situation in the country and pathways for an urgent humanitarian response," reported TOLOnews citing local press agency sources.

The Saudi Arabian government insists that member countries and international organizations attend the said meeting to put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as well as to ensure regional and international peace.

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The humanitarian crisis and a complete economic collapse have been plaguing Afghanistan and its people since the Taliban took over the country. 

According to the United Nations, around 22 million Afghans, or more than half of the country, will experience a severe food shortage this winter as a result of drought caused by global warming and an economic crisis aggravated by the Taliban's takeover.

The financial crisis worsened when Washington froze about $10 billion of Afghanistan's reserves and further deteriorated when the World Bank and  International Monetary Fund blocked Afghanistan's access to funding.