El Fasher, Oct 16: The United Nations’ humanitarian action is on the brink of collapse, with needs higher than ever and funding for the UN system’s humanitarian operations shrinking, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In his remarks to the UN General Assembly on the UN80 Initiative on Wednesday (local time), Guterres said: “Now is the time for bold, systemic change, building on the Humanitarian Reset: to deliver faster, at lower cost and with greater reliability to the millions of people whose lives depend on us in moments of crisis.”

With this goal in mind, the UN chief said, the United Nations has established a New Humanitarian Compact between UN humanitarian agencies — a six-point blueprint to deliver better, restore trust in multilateral action and maximise the impact of every dollar.

“The Compact will bring the UN system together in a new Collaborative Humanitarian Diplomacy Initiative — fostering coordinated negotiation and unified messaging, so that we speak and act as one for those in greatest need,” he said.

Guterres highlighted the measures to be taken, including cutting coordination bureaucracy by simplifying humanitarian response plans, meetings and structures; integrating the supply chains of the principal humanitarian agencies, enabling more cost-effective procurement, pooled freight and shared logistics at global and country levels; and proposing to scale up the use of common services, from office space to fleets and security arrangements.

“Everything that is specific to the activity of an agency should be developed by the agency, but everything that is common should be done together with a larger increase of efficiency and a meaningful reduction of costs,” he said.

Guterres added that the United Nations will strengthen its joint capacities to leverage data for faster, earlier, more targeted and dignified action, and align responsibilities to reduce programmatic overlaps in the fields of food, mobility, beneficiary data, health and nutrition.

In his speech, Guterres also said that to implement the UN80 Initiative, the United Nations has identified targeted efficiencies and cost reductions of over 15 per cent in the proposed 2026 regular budget, and about 19 per cent in posts. “The purpose is clear: to reduce duplication, strengthen quality and safeguard mandate delivery while responding to Member States’ call for greater efficiency.”

The United Nations has appealed for more than 45.3 billion US dollars for its global humanitarian needs in 2025, but only 21 per cent, or 9.6 billion dollars, had been received as of the end of September, a staggering decrease of over 40 per cent compared to the same time last year, a UN spokesperson said Tuesday.

Islamabad, Oct 16: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Wednesday announced that a temporary ceasefire has been reached with Afghanistan for the next 48 hours following days of intense cross-border clashes between the two sides, Dawn reported.

According to the Foreign Office, “A temporary ceasefire has been decided between the Pakistani government and the Afghan Taliban regime, with the mutual consent of both parties, for the next 48 hours from 6 pm today, at the request of the Taliban.”

The statement added that “during this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find a positive solution to this complex but solvable issue through constructive dialogue.”

Taliban regime spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed on X that Afghan forces had been instructed to respect the truce “unless any aggression takes place.”

Earlier, Dawn reported that Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV News cited security sources saying that the Pakistan armed forces had conducted “precision strikes” in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province and in the capital, Kabul.

A statement shared on X and quoted by PTV said, “Pakistan Army’s retaliatory action against Afghan Taliban aggression, key hideouts destroyed. Key hideouts of Afghan Taliban successfully targeted by Pakistan Army.”

“These precision strikes were carried out in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. As a result of these strikes, Afghan Taliban Battalion Number 4 and Border Brigade Number 6 completely destroyed. Dozens of foreign and Afghan operatives killed,” the statement added.

According to Dawn, the Pakistan Army said it retained “the full capability to give a strong and complete response to any external aggression.” PTV later reported that strikes were also carried out in Kabul, targeting what were described as terrorist hideouts.

The security sources also told PTV that “the Pakistan Army targeted Afghan Taliban Battalion Headquarters No 4, Battalion 8, and Border Brigade No 5 in Kandahar. All these targets were meticulously selected, isolated from civilian populations, and successfully destroyed.”

Earlier in the day, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistani troops had successfully repelled an attack by Afghan Taliban fighters along the Balochistan border, killing between 15 and 20 of their members.

The ISPR said Afghan Taliban “resorted to cowardly attack[s] at four locations in [the] Spin Boldak area” during the early hours of Wednesday, but “the attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani forces.”

As reported by Dawn, Wednesday’s fighting marked the third major confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan in a week, following clashes in Kurram a day earlier and multiple border skirmishes over the weekend.

The ISPR stated that during one of the earlier incidents, 23 Pakistani troops were martyred and 29 injured after Afghan Taliban militants attacked posts across the border. The military said its counterattacks had “neutralised more than 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists, while the number of injured is much higher.”

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration claimed its assault was a “retaliatory” response to alleged airstrikes by Pakistan inside Afghan territory the previous week. Islamabad did not confirm whether such strikes had taken place but reiterated that Pakistan reserved the right to defend itself against cross-border aggression.

Dawn noted that these clashes come amid rising tensions, with Pakistan urging Kabul to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghan soil for attacks. Afghanistan, however, denies the allegations, asserting that its territory is not being used to target neighbouring countries.
The issue of cross-border militancy has long strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul, and tensions have further deepened following the recent escalation of hostilities.

On Monday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan had effectively broken down. “It’s a stalemate right now. You can say there are no active hostilities, but the environment is hostile,” he said. “There are no ties, direct or indirect, as of today.”

The minister warned that renewed clashes could erupt “at any time,” underscoring the fragile state of relations between the two neighbours.