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UN pushes for pledges, seeks $4.4 billion for Afghanistan
The United Nations announced on Thursday it is seeking $4.4 billion for Afghanistan in the largest ever humanitarian appeal launched for a single country, Reuters reported.
Ahead of the drive, Britain pledged 286 million pounds ($374 million) for Afghanistan, where six out of every 10 Afghans need aid, much of it food, amid an economic crisis worsened by a financial aid cutoff following the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) takeover in August.
“Afghans need our help in enabling their economy, sustaining their agriculture and enabling the basic functioning of social services,” UN aid chief Martin Griffiths told a news briefing on Wednesday ahead of the event co-hosted with Britain, Germany and Qatar.
The UN says funds under the appeal — three times the amount requested in 2021 and so far only 13% funded — go directly to aid agencies and none are channeled through the de facto authorities, Reuters reported.
In a sign that recent IEA moves on human rights and inclusivity may directly impact willingness to help IEA, the US cancelled meetings with them in Qatar after the reversal of a decision on girls returning to high schools.
“We want to see those prohibitions, those constraints removed. I hope it will not mean that the pledges that we have from this conference are limited by that because I can tell you that there are efforts ongoing,” Griffiths said.
He urged political engagement with the IEA administration, saying it wants to find “a constructive path forward” with the global community, and that isolating Afghanistan now would only bring more suffering in the future.
About 23 million people face acute food insecurity as Afghanistan also experiences its worst drought in 30 years, while 10 million children are in urgent need of aid, according to the United Nations.
German foreign ministry official Ricklef Beutin called for the world to join in the 4.4 billion pledge but added: “The Taliban (IEA), the de facto authorities have to live up to their responsibilities, to protect their people and to help humanitarian organisations do the work on the ground that they need to do.”
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Continued aid to Afghanistan vital for regional security: Kazakh president
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
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Islamic Emirate declines to attend Tehran meeting on Afghanistan
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Sirajuddin Haqqani: A government that intimidates its people is not a true government
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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