UN Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Agency – OCHA Chief Tom Flatcher is visiting Afghanistan nowadays and while talking on Thursday he said that he was capable of seeing a serious impact of money, having a serious impact on the common people.
Speaking on the UN news of Afghanistan, he said that he spoke about the participation of women in humanitarian assistance with Taliban officials and their right to education. He hoped that this conversation would move towards a positive change.
This interview has been edited for Bravity and accuracy:
UN News: You said that policy makers who approved the cut should come to Afghanistan and see their influences. Do you use clean and sharp language with them in private conversations?
Tom Flatcher: Yes, the real impact takes some time to appear but 400 clinics have already been closed here. NGOs are removing half of their staff, and local NGOs are most affected. People will die because of this money. This is the biggest tragedy.
UN News: How is the leaders’ response?
Tom Flatcher: There are two types of leaders: one, who makes a difficult decision by the economic crisis and the pressure of taxpayers, can well understand the importance of human efforts. And other leaders who are unfortunately proud of assistance with assistance. I would like to introduce this second class mother to the mother who lost her child because she had to travel three hours long and hard by cycling to reach the hospital during pregnancy.
A good leadership is that he is the one who reaches the root of the problem and finds the solutions. In order to reach our different groups, we have to make our ways to the mold and stand in the defense of our activities. The human community has come out of poverty and has saved numerous lives, we are proud of it.
UN News: You have become the urgent relief of the United Nations in a difficult time. In February, you have declared a 20% decrease in the budget of your department. How do you deal with it?
Tom Flatcher: It’s really hard. This whole area can be reduced to about one third and there is also the possibility of further snatching. We will look for new partners and try to connect the private sector, so that the nature of discussion about “solidarity” can be changed. We have to work with this new situation, not what we want.
I am optimistic about discussing with Senator Marco Rubio that focus on protecting life -affordable support and I want to understand what the United States can be in the world to save lives around the world, what is their view.
UN News: Considering the current situation, do we have to think again what the real meaning of ‘assist’ is and how to meet the requirements for it?
Tom Flatcher: Absolutely. We are going through the period of a “human restructuring”. We are getting smaller in size, but the effort is the least impact on life saving work. Also, we are moving towards more skills. From the very first day I started promoting skills in the entire sector. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) has reduced the bureaucracy, ends departmental conflicts and noticed the effects of local levels.
UN News: Do many member countries still believe in the importance of international assistance?
Tom Flatcher: Yes, despite the economic pressure, many donors are still committed, and we are watching a few new countries emerging, especially in the Gulf countries and China, where cooperation is increasing. We no longer want to rely on the government, so they are trying to include the private sector and the general citizens with this cooperation.
UN News: Taliban have imposed serious restrictions on education and employment in Afghanistan. Is it possible to contact the Taliban?
Tom Flatcher: Yes. There are two main issues in this conversation. First, we cannot provide human assistance without the help of women, they are the backbone of our work. Second, the widespread issue of women’s rights, especially education, is very important. This right has been taken from millions of girls in the last three years. These conversations are difficult, but as pre -diplomat, I believe that the dialogue is necessary despite the respectful conversation, desire to listen and cultural and ideological differences.
UN News: Before taking this position, did you have any obvious goals for your term?
Tom Flatcher: Yes. First, I have been in this post for so long that I can really have an impact, because continuing in this national challenging work is very important.
Second, I have started working with a clear goal of improving the humanitarian assistance, making it more effective and bringing them closer to those whom we serve. And the most important thing is that all my focus is on saving people’s lives, we should show all our work with this value.