The United Nations got more than 1.2 billion in the beleaguered and impoverished country on Monday.
At the first high-level Afghanistan conference since the Taliban came to power a month ago, Western governments, major traditional donors and other pledges went beyond the $ 606 million the United Nations was seeking to cover costs by the end of the year Protect Afghans from an impending humanitarian disaster.
President Joe Biden explained on Tuesday why, after more than 20 years, he has decided to end the war in Afghanistan.
At the end of the ministerial meeting, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths announced that more than US $ 1.2 billion in humanitarian and development aid had been pledged. He said this included the $ 606 million requested in a “flash appeal,” but also a regional response to the Afghanistan crisis that UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi discussed after arriving in Kabul at a previous meeting unannounced visit spoke.
He wrote on Twitter that he would assess the humanitarian needs and situation of 3.5 million displaced Afghans, including over 500,000 displaced this year alone.
UNHCR officials have raised concerns that more Afghans may seek refuge in neighboring Pakistan and Iran, where many Afghans have fled their country in the last decades of the war.
Griffiths urged donors to convert Monday’s pledges into cash donations as soon as possible, saying “the funding will throw a lifeline to Afghans” who lack food, health care and shelter. He said the meeting showed solidarity with the Afghan people, but added that “Afghanistan is facing a long and hard road” and that “it is far from the end of the journey”.
It is feared that Afghanistan could plunge further into famine and economic collapse following last month’s chaos, in which the Taliban quickly ousted the government as US and NATO forces abandoned the 20-year war.
“The Afghan people need a lifeline,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the opening of the conference. “After decades of war, suffering and uncertainty, perhaps their most dangerous hour is ahead of them. Now is the time for the international community to stand by them. And let’s make it clear that this conference is not just about what we are going to give to the people of Afghanistan. It’s about what we owe. “
He said one in three Afghans does not know where their next meal will come from, the poverty rate is “spiraling” and basic public services are on the verge of collapse. A severe drought threatens the upcoming harvest and hunger increases.
The United Nations World Food Program says Afghans are becoming increasingly scarce to buy food, the majority of which – like wheat flour – is imported. Frozen foreign exchange and a paralyzed national budget have robbed people of the money they need, just as food and fuel prices have risen.
As with many other United Nations-led donor conferences, some countries have allocated more resources, while others have highlighted commitments that have already been made. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that Germany should allow 500 million euros (590 million US dollars) to flow into Afghanistan and its neighboring countries, but details were not immediately given. Denmark said there would be an additional $ 38 million and Norway pledged $ 11.5 million.
At the same time, officials suggested that aid in the future could be influenced by how Taliban rules apply.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, said the US is “committed to providing humanitarian aid to Afghans” and is providing $ 64 million in new aid to the United Nations and partner organizations. That brings the total U.S. amount to Afghanistan for this fiscal year to $ 330 million, she said.
“We need verbal and written commitments from the Taliban on the operating rights of humanitarian organizations and the treatment and rights of minority groups, women and girls,” she said via video message. “Words are not good enough. We need to see action. The international community is united in this message. “
Germany’s Maas told the Human Rights Council in Geneva that the world had a “moral obligation” to help Afghans. But he also said that the Taliban’s respect for human rights, especially for women and girls, is a “benchmark for us and our partners in determining our future engagement with a new Afghan government”.
He criticized the Taliban’s decision to expel other groups from their recently announced interim government, saying it was “not the right signal” for international cooperation and stability.
The world has been watching closely how Afghanistan might differ under a Taliban government from 1996 to 2001 when Islamic militants first came to power. During this time, the Taliban, through their interpretation of Islamic law, imposed a tough rule. Girls and women were denied schooling and excluded from public life.
After the seizure of power on August 15, the Taliban initially promised inclusiveness and a general amnesty for former opponents. But many Afghans remain deeply scared, especially because of the early Taliban activity. The group formed an all-male, all-Taliban government, although it originally said it would invite broader representation. Taliban police have beaten Afghan journalists and violently broken up women’s protests.
The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned of a “new and dangerous phase” for Afghanistan when she accused the Taliban of not communicating between her words and actions.
Speaking to the Human Rights Council, she said her office had received credible allegations that the Taliban killed former Afghan security forces in retaliation, as well as cases of previous government officials and their families being arbitrarily arrested and later found dead.
Bachelet cited several allegations that Taliban forces carried out door-to-door searches to find certain previous government officials and people who cooperated with U.S. forces and companies. She said that over the past three weeks, contrary to the Taliban’s claims to respect women’s rights, women have been increasingly excluded from the public eye.
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Associated Press writer James Keaten reported the story in Geneva and AP writer Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations. The AP authors Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Rahim Faiez in Istanbul contributed to this report.
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