The International Rescue Committee (IRC) urged the international community to not neglect the situation in Afghanistan as the world’s attention shifts to the conflict and displacement in Ukraine.
Sending out a press release on Friday, the IRC said it welcomes the recent moves by the US to issue a general license and the scaling up of humanitarian support to Afghanistan by international partners. “The international community should seize this window of opportunity in Afghanistan to prevent famine, save lives, and put an end to the horrific conditions facing women and girls,” it said.
On March 1st, the World Bank’s executive board approved a plan to use more than $1 billion from Afghanistan’s Trust Fund to finance urgently needed education, agriculture and family programs. The US Treasury Department also recently announced a general license that allows commercial activities in Afghanistan, even with the Afghan governing institutions.
“We applaud the recent good work done by the US and other donor governments to alleviate the suffering in Afghanistan. Specifically, the World Bank board’s decision to provide $1 billion from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund to UN agencies and aid organizations operating in the country,” IRC’s Vice President of Policy and Advocacy Amanda Catanzano said.
According to IRC, currently nine million Afghans live on the brink of famine, urging for the immediate distribution of the new funds for the vulnerable Afghans as well as paying the salaries of civil servants.
IRC’s remarks come as the UK government said it will co-host a virtual pledging event along with the UN late this month which is aimed to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The virtual pledging conference is aimed to help the UN raise $4.4 billion for Afghanistan, the largest amount it has ever requested for a single country.
“Until sweeping measures are taken to restore the Afghanistan economy, people will suffer and lives will be lost. Women and girls are especially at risk, and the IRC calls for urgent action to save lives and avert famine,” IRC said.
Due to the pollical change with subsequent cut off of development aids to the country, Afghanistan has been facing a severe economic and humanitarian situation. Now with the war in Ukraine, it is believed that the world’s attention might divert from Afghanistan to Ukraine.
