We must respond to Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis

As we watch it unfurl on our screens, the offers of generosity have poured in. Hundreds have written to me, attended the meeting I called, or acted in so many ways. I know that everyone is doing what they can.

I have been focused on trying to secure a safe passage out of Afghanistan for York residents and their families - attending meetings with senior Cabinet Ministers, civil servants and military leaders and liaising with officials to ensure that all is being done that can. I pay tribute to the unprecedented military operation that was performed with such courage by our armed forces.

As a Shadow Minister, I have met with the humanitarian aid organisations to hear about the situation on the ground and what Government needs to do to support them.Here in York, I have coordinated a meeting of the agencies needed to ensure that as a city we are doing all we can.

But like you, I have also been reflecting on what it means to live in a violent and dangerous world, where the simple right to live in peace is stolen.

Afghanistan does not stand alone. As a politician, I want to see a strategic review of foreign policy, to ensure that this situation never happens again, that the UK can lead the global charge for peace.

The UK Government has spent around £37bn on this war over the last 20 years (the US over £2.2 trillion), and yet around 250,000 people have been killed, including 457 members of our armed forces.

Such huge cost is causing families here and in Afghanistan to question what it was all for. I have spoken to constituents who have fought in the war, scarred by their experiences. I have spoken to people who have lost loved ones and recall their pain. These conversations never leave you as a politician; they matter, really matter.

I’ve called for a public inquiry. We need to know why the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary only woke up to their responsibilities days before the final plane left Afghanistan.

We need to understand why there has been no planning on safe exit routes or operations, and why the world is left unprepared for yet another horrific humanitarian crisis, all when Overseas Development Aid is being slashed.

And our search must go deeper still to understand these twenty lost years. We need to comprehend why humanitarian issues were not addressed: issues such as destitution, which leaves Afghanistan as one of the poorest nations on earth, and drought.

Without the infrastructure needed for water, and because the UK did not sufficiently deal with crop diversification from opium fields, it is thought that once again the Taliban will be funded by drugs. Three quarters of the world’s opium came from Afghanistan prior to 2001 and the implications of this being once again a major export could be devastating.

Afghan farmers harvesting raw opium from a poppy field in 2013. Picture: AP /Abdul Khaleq

The consequences of this twenty-year occupation could be even more costly around the world than the war, but only 10 per cent of the combat budget was spent addressing this.

In our ever-more-connected world, we have a duty, here in York, to enter the conversation. I want us to work together to set out our global priorities, since the broken foreign and military model must cease, and we must urgently address the causes of global insecurity.

How do we provide a humanitarian response to the legacy of this war? As refugees are in urgent need of food and security, we must equally address the food deprivation in our city.

No one should experience hunger on this planet of enough. Shelter, as we head toward winter, is essential for people with no home. We cannot ignore those who sleep on our streets or are inadequately housed.

In this world of want and greed and must have, there is a unified cry for the world to pivot to one of compassion, selflessness and generosity. If you have spare, offer it to someone with none. Let us not retreat from this challenge.

But it cannot just be us as individuals. We need the Government and councils to reprioritise. Signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals, we should use this framework to ensure every decision made, locally and nationally, builds a stronger and more secure society.

So let’s recognise that in this world of enough and our city of plenty, we must prioritise for need locally, nationally and globally. What else is our purpose?