World Bank: $ 280 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

The World Bank’s board has approved the transfer of $ 280 million from the Afghanistan Special Fund for Reconstruction, which has been frozen to two aid agencies to help deal with the severe humanitarian crisis in the south. After the withdrawal of US troops and the recapture of power by the Taliban in August, two sources told Reuters.

It now remains for the 31 donors to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) to approve the transfer before it can be made available to the World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF, the two sources said. meeting to consider the issue tomorrow Friday.

PT’s board met informally on Tuesday to consider donating $ 500 million of ARTF’s 1.5 billion to aid agencies (24996003).

Afghanistan’s population (39 million) is facing a deep economic crisis, food shortages and the spread of poverty, three months after the Taliban returned to power, which hastened the withdrawal of foreign troops after 20 years of war.

Afghan experts say the amount will help, but there are still many questions and difficulties, especially the risk of financial institutions being exposed to draconian US economic sanctions.

Although the US Treasury Department has assured banks in letters that it can conduct humanitarian aid transactions in Afghanistan, concerns about sanctions continue to hamper the supply of even basic necessities such as food and medicine.

UNICEF warns that 3.2 million children under the age of 5 in Afghanistan will experience acute malnutrition during the winter and one million of them are at serious risk of dying (25001695).

Any decision to redirect ARTF resources requires the unanimous approval of the donors who contributed to it, with the largest being the United States. The fund is managed by PT on behalf of the donors.

Neither the White House nor the US Treasury Department had any immediate comment on the World Bank decision.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ