"The tragic events of September 11 have aggravated the existing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan," Hossain said as he explain that the original report only covered issues untill the end of August.

He said that even before September 11, and the armed conflict that started on October 7, the situation was dire in Afghanistan. The addendum to the report states, " In early 2001 it seemed that they [Afghans] were becoming a forgotten and abandoned people as humanitarian crises in other parts of the world diverted international attention and humanitarian assistance." The report had appealed for $229 million in humanitarian aid. This amount is estimated as $10 per Afghan.

The former USSR withdrew their forces from Afghanistan in 1989, since then Hossain said, "Afghans can be described as hostages in their own country." He said little has changed in the past 12 years with respect to human rights.

Quoting his report Hosssain said that there are currently over four million refugees in neighboring countries, which accounts for nearly a fifth of the total population. He said it is estimated that 1000 Afghans a day enter Iranian refugee camps. Due to the armed conflict with the international coalition an additional one million people have been internally displaced.

The report appeals to the UN and the international community to help Afghanistan transition "from war to peace." It states, "It is imperative that the Afghan people be central to the political plan, and that their human rights, long denied to them, and their legitimate expectation to live in freedom and with dignity in a society where peace is restored and the rule of law protects their lives and their livelihoods against violence and the depredation of powerful warlords, be realized."

Hossain said emergency aid is vitally needed in the country. However the world community should look ahead and realize that Afghanistan also needs to rebuild their country.

As Hossain stated, the global community has focused its attention on Afghanistan. Earlier this week the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi went to Rome to visit the exiled Afghan king, Mohannad Zahir Shah. During the meeting, His Majesty said he is willing to play a major role in the country's future in a manner that is useful and acceptable to everyone. Unicef, with the aid of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), is distributing vitamin A to 4.5 million children in Afghanistan and 27 million in Pakistan. CIDA's $800,000 contribution will help save many lives. Vitamin A is essential to the functioning of the body's immune system.

In addition to this humanitarian aid the Pakistani government has approved a plan to open 11 new sites for refugee camps for Afghans pouring into Pakistan due to the armed conflict. The decision was reached in a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistani government officials, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme.