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U.S. Aid Program Vowed to Help 75,000 Afghan Women, Watchdog Says It’s a Flop

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(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

An American aid project in Afghanistan that was billed as the world’s biggest program ever designed purely for female empowerment has been a failure and a waste of taxpayers’ money, the head of a government watchdog agency has charged.

The New York Times has written the project by the United States Agency for International Development, which was named Promote, was originally budgeted at $280 million and was supposed to help 75,000 Afghan women get jobs, promotions, apprenticeships and internships.

Three years later, one of the few concrete results cited in a study of the project released on Thursday by the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction was the promotion of 55 women to better jobs. But the report said it was unclear whether the program could even be credited for those promotions.

The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction has repeatedly criticized American aid projects in Afghanistan as wasteful and poorly conceived.

The new report expressed concern that three contractors’ security and overhead costs accounted for 18 percent of the $89 million disbursed so far, five years after USAID announced it was introducing Promote.

In the meantime, the spokesman of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Roya Dadras accepts the desperation of aids but says these kinds of projects do not have political supports and work independently.

Analysts believe that compared to the amount of donated aids, no significant work has been done for women in Afghanistan.

While there are more than 500 projects for women in Afghanistan, Afghan women are still faced with many challenges.

 

Source: New York Times

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Media Violation Commission bans two TV channels

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(Last Updated On: April 16, 2024)

The Media Violations Commission has ordered Noor and Barya TV channels to stop broadcasting and to appear in court, state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported on Tuesday.

ّIt is said that the decision against the channels was taken for “not observing the principles of journalism.”

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Hekmatyar slams US for ‘occupying’ Afghanistan’s airspace

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(Last Updated On: April 16, 2024)

Former Jihadi leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has criticized the United States for patrolling Afghanistan’s airspace with drones.

Hekmatyar said in a speech Tuesday that any form of American presence in Afghanistan is unacceptable.

“Afghanistan’s airspace is under occupation. Expressing this issue is our religious responsibility. We have sacrificed the most for freedom. We do not accept any presence of America. We do not accept any kind of foreign rule,” he said.

Hekmatyar also stated that there is a possibility of American troops entering the country again.

“[Former] President Trump’s national security advisor says that their departure was a mistake and that they should return. This is not an ordinary issue. The possibility that they will make a mistake again and return to Afghanistan is very strong,” he said.

The Islamic Emirate has not commented so far on Hekmatyar’s remarks, but it has confirmed sightings of drones over Afghanistan.

“It is required that the respected officials of the caretaker government give explanations on this matter and respond to the concerns of the Afghan people in this matter, because important and great national issues are important for every Afghan citizen and if there is a problem, it will be a cause of concern for everyone,” said Fazl-ul-Hadi Wazin, a university lecturer.

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Uzbek and Qatari leaders discuss Trans-Afghan Railway project

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(Last Updated On: April 16, 2024)

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Monday met with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani for talks on a number of issues including the Trans-Afghan Railway project.

The two leaders also discussed bilateral trade issues, strengthening of relations and regional matters, including the escalating situation in the Middle East.

In October 2023, Uzbekistan Railways JSC presented the Trans-Afghan Railway project to Qatar’s Ministry of Transport.

Subsequently, deliberations were held on Qatar’s involvement in the project’s execution.

In February 2021, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a roadmap for the Termez-Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway construction.

The envisioned transport corridor, estimated at approximately $5 billion, aims to connect Europe, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Southeast Asian nations, boasting a transit capacity of up to 20 million tons of cargo.

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