UN / AFGHANISTAN HUMANITARIAN UPDATE

The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths expressed his “extreme concern” at the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, where more than 1000 people have been killed or injured in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces over the last month alone, the UN spokesperson told reporters on Monday. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:37
• Production Date: 9 August 2021
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: MARTIN GRIFFITHS; STEPHANE DUJARRIC
• Corporate Name: OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - OCHA
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
• Geographic Subject: AFGHANISTAN
• MAMS Id: 2646285
• Parent Id: 2646285
• Alternate Title: unifeed210809d

Description

STORY: UN / AFGHANISTAN HUMANITARIAN UPDATE
TRT: 1:37
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS

DATELINE: 9 AUGUST 2021, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

FILE

1.Exterior shot, UN headquarters

9 AUGUST 2021, NEW YORK CITY

2.Wide shot, press room
3.Cutaway, reporters
4.SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General:
“Turning to Afghanistan the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, today expressed his extreme concern at the deteriorating situation in the country. More than 1000 people have been killed or injured due to indiscriminate attacks against civilians in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces in the last month alone. In a statement, Mr. Griffiths echoed calls by the Secretary-General and members of the Security Council strongly condemning attacks against civilians, and he called for a ceasefire. He reminded all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, including the responsibility to protect civilians, and ensure access for humanitarian organizations to reach people in need.”
5.Cutaway, reporters
6.SOUNDBITE (English) Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General:
“Mr. Griffiths underscored that fighting across the country, which claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people since 2009 when the UN reporting began, needs to stop. People have suffered enough he said. As an example of the brutal nature of the scale of violence in Afghanistan, the UN Children's Fund today said that in the last 72 hours 20 children have been killed and 130 injured in Kandahar province alone.”
7.Cutaway, reporters

Storyline

The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths expressed his “extreme concern” at the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, where more than 1000 people have been killed or injured in Helmand, Kandahar and Herat provinces over the last month alone, the UN spokesperson told reporters on Monday (9 Aug).

Briefing reporters in New York, Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths in a statement, “echoed calls by the Secretary-General and members of the Security Council strongly condemning attacks against civilians, and he called for a ceasefire.”

“He reminded all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, including the responsibility to protect civilians, and ensure access for humanitarian organizations to reach people in need,” Dujarric said, adding that “Mr. Griffiths underscored that fighting across the country, which claimed the lives of more than 40,000 people since 2009 when the UN reporting began, needs to stop. People have suffered enough he said.”

As an example of “the brutal nature of the scale of violence in Afghanistan,” Dujarric read a statement from Unicef - the UN Children's Fund, which said that in the last 72 hours 20 children have been killed and 130 injured in Kandahar province alone.