Afghanistan aid talks called by UN for September 13

The conference will call for an increase in funding to ensure Afghans continue to receive humanitarian support

Afghan women's rights defenders and civil activists protest to call on the Taliban for the preservation of their achievements and education, in front of the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

Armed Taliban fighters stand next to a mullah, a religious leader, speaking during Friday prayers at the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul. AFP

An Afghan man sells Taliban flags in Kabul. EPA

Spectators wave Afghanistan's and Taliban flags as they watch the Twenty20 cricket trial match being played between two Afghan teams, Peace Defenders and Peace Heroes, at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium. AFP

A Taliban fighter stands guard as spectators watch the Twenty20 cricket trial match in Kabul. AFP

A burqa-clad woman rides at the back of a three-wheeler motorcycle cart in Kabul. AFP

The UAE sent a plane carrying urgent medical and food aid to Afghanistan. Wam

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, centre left, on a visit to Melville Barracks in Colchester, England where he met military personnel who worked on the Afghan evacuation. AP

Taliban forces use an armoured vehicle to block the road near the presidential place in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

Afghan resistance movement and anti-Taliban uprising forces during military training in Dara district, Panjshir province. AFP

Taliban fighters at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Reuters

An Afghan woman protester speaks to a member of the Taliban during a protest in Herat. AFP

Syukuriah, 25, a refugee from Afghanistan, camps on the sidewalk near the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA

An Afghan woman evacuated from Kabul in the terminal before boarding a bus after arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Virginia. AP Photo

Gabby Ramirez, left, and Breanna Sanvnark watch a ceremony to honour the late LCpl Dylan Merola at Central Park in Rancho Cucamonga, California. EPA

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will convene a high-level conference on aid for Afghanistan in Geneva on September 13.

“The conference will advocate for a swift scale-up in funding so the life-saving humanitarian operation can continue; and appeal for full and unimpeded humanitarian access to make sure Afghans continue to get the essential services they need,” said Mr Guterres's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

Afghanistan, now back under the control of the Taliban after 20 years of war, faces a “looming humanitarian catastrophe", Mr Dujarric said.

The UN said more than 18 million people in the country were in need of humanitarian assistance.

Mr Dujarric said development gains must also be protected and that the rights of women were an essential part of the country's future stability.

Afghanistan was heavily dependent on aid even before the Taliban regained power, with 40 per cent of the country's gross domestic product drawn from foreign funding.

About a third of the 38 million people in the country may not have a meal every day, Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s humanitarian chief in the country, told AP.

The UN’s World Food Programme has distributed food to tens of thousands of people in recent weeks, but with winter approaching and a drought continuing, at least $200 million is needed urgently to continue to feed the most vulnerable Afghans, he said.

“One in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. Nearly half of all children under the age of 5 are predicted to be acutely malnourished in the next 12 months,” Mr Dujarric said.

On Thursday, the UN said it resumed humanitarian flights to parts of the country, linking the Pakistani capital Islamabad with Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan and Kandahar in the south.

The EU has offered humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, but suspended a separate supply of development aid.

The country's main carrier, Ariana Afghan Airlines, resumed domestic flights on Friday, while the UAE has sent a plane carrying urgent medical and food aid, to assist thousands of Afghan families, especially the most vulnerable, such as women, children and the elderly.

Last week, the UAE hosted up to 8,500 Afghans at Emirates Humanitarian City in Abu Dhabi, where high-quality housing, sanitation, food and health care were provided by teams from several UAE entities.