Aid plea to prevent ‘catastrophe’
The United Nations has launched its biggest ever appeal – for more than US$5 billion (NZ$7.3b) to help 22 million Afghans whose country is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse, as well as 5.7 million Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries.
The UN said the appeal would be followed by a pledging conference in mid-March.
Several nations announced new funding yesterday, including an additional US$308 million (NZ$453m) from the United States and US$500,000 (NZ$736,000) from Israel, and there were indications more funds will be coming from other mainly Western nations.
The issue of helping the Afghan people has been complicated by the Taliban takeover of the country last August.
The Islamist militants initially promised tolerance and inclusiveness towards women and ethnic minorities, but their actions so far, including renewed restrictions on women and the appointment of an all-male government, have been met with dismay by the international community – including many donors.
Afghanistan’s aid-reliant economy was thrown into turmoil following the Taliban takeover.
The central bank’s US$9b (NZ$13.2b) in reserves, most of which is held in the United States, were frozen. The International Monetary Fund blocked about US$450m (NZ$662m) because of a ‘‘lack of clarity’’ about a new government.
The Taliban leadership has banned all foreign currency transactions while urging the US to ease sanctions and release Afghanistan’s overseas assets so the government can pay teachers, doctors and other public sector employees.
The International Refugee Committee said its staff had seen a thirty-fold increase in the severest form of child malnutrition between November and December in western Herat province, and a two-fold increase in southeastern Khost province.
The organisation, which has worked in Afghanistan since 1988, said food prices had risen an estimated 10 to 20 per cent compared with the past five years, and in December the cost of wheat, fuel and flour were almost 50 per cent higher than in the last week of June.
UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said the international community ‘‘must do everything it can to prevent a catastrophe in Afghanistan’’.