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WHO appeals for $1.5 billion to address crises from Gaza to Afghanistan
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday appealed for $1.5 billion in funding to respond to the health needs of millions of people caught up in dozens of humanitarian crises around the globe, from Ukraine and Gaza to Afghanistan.
"We aim to reach some 87 million people with life-saving humanitarian assistance this year," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
"To do this, we need support totalling $1.5 billion, and we need this funding to arrive as early as possible and with as much flexibility as possible... A reactive approach is not enough."
Tedros said an estimated 166 million people would require health assistance around the world this year, including in the occupied Palestinian territories, Ukraine, Haiti and Sudan.
The health emergency requiring the most is taking place in the occupied Palestinian Territories - and Gaza in particular - where Israeli forces have carried out a relentless assault against the enclave in response to a deadly rampage by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
WHO said it required $219 million to meet critical needs there for a period of three to six months, depending on the evolution of the conflict.
The other two global health emergencies requiring the most funding are COVID and the situation in Afghanistan, where 23.7 million people urgently need access to clean water and sanitation, WHO said.
The resurgence of cholera around the globe, which Tedros said was "especially concerning", requires funding of nearly $50 million, while WHO's health response in Ukraine needs $77 million.
"The cost of inaction is one the world cannot afford," Tedros said.
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US spending of $3.71 billion has had no impact on Afghanistan’s economy: Ministry
The Ministry of Economy in a statement on Saturday responding to a report by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), said the $3.71 billion mentioned by the agency was allocated to international institutions, a large portion of which was used for their own expenses, and the rest designated as humanitarian aid.
SIGAR’s report stated that the US has spent $3.71 billion in Afghanistan over the past three years, but it has had little significant impact on the country’s economic situation.
According to the statement, the Ministry of Economy has urged the international community and countries to release over $9 billion of Afghanistan's foreign reserves, which have been frozen, to the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB).
The statement stated this would allow the funds to be used for maintaining monetary stability, strengthening the financial system, facilitating trade with the world, and ensuring Afghanistan’s economic stability.
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Industry ministry to establish ‘unified union’ for pine nut sector
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) said in a statement on Saturday that a unified union will be established for the pine nut sector to support its development and eliminate unhealthy competition among its members.
According to the statement, acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi met with pine nut traders during a meeting to support and address the challenges faced by the pine nut sector.
In the meeting, discussions focused on the establishment of pine nut processing factories, export issues, supporting sector members, and creating a pine nut market within the country.
Traders also stated that currently, Afghan pine nuts are exported to China, India, and European countries.
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Trump claims China controls Bagram Airfield
President Donald Trump on Friday said he would have kept Bagram Airfield not for Afghanistan, but for China, because it is "just one hour away from where Beijing makes its nuclear weapons."
Speaking at signing executive orders at the White House, Trump referred to Bagram Airfield as "one of the largest airbases in the world."
Trump reiterated his criticism of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, asserting that China now controls Bagram Airfield.
“I was getting out, but I was going to keep Bagram,” Trump told reporters, referring to his administration’s plans for Afghanistan. “Right now, China has Bagram.”
Trump also argued that the withdrawal, overseen by former President Biden in 2021, emboldened Russia and contributed to its invasion of Ukraine.
“When Putin looked over and saw how incompetently that was handled,” he said, “Afghanistan really started the problems with Russia and Ukraine.”
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