UN raises $2.44 billion in aid for Afghanistan, half of its target

The international community on Thursday (31) pledged $2.44 billion in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, just over half of the $4.4 billion the United Nations has proposed raising to confront the specter of hunger in that country.

The announcement was made by 41 countries at a virtual donor conference organized by the United Nations, the United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar.

“Without immediate action, we will face a hunger and malnutrition crisis in Afghanistan,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in his opening speech.

The donor conference comes a week after the Taliban regime closed women’s secondary schools, sparking global outrage despite the group’s pledge to offer a moderate version of its previous harsh regime that ran between 1996 and 2001.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15 last year, after a hasty withdrawal of US-led international forces. The humanitarian crisis has worsened since then.

The United Nations, the United Kingdom, Germany and Qatar, co-hosts of the virtual conference, condemned the closure of women’s schools, but insisted that the international community should not abandon the country, which includes 60% of the population in need of help living.

They also urged donors not to fall into the trap of forgetting the crisis in Afghanistan because of their interest in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Ukraine is of vital importance, but Afghanistan appeals to our souls for commitment and loyalty,” said UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths, speaking from Kabul.

The organization noted that Afghanistan is close to economic collapse: more than 24 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

“We need to avoid the worst in Afghanistan, so we are asking donors to be generous,” Griffiths said.

The British diplomat said basic services such as health and education had “stumbled to their knees” while millions of people were not getting jobs and many had borrowed to survive.

“And as if things couldn’t get any worse, the country is experiencing the worst drought in decades,” he added.

Griffiths said he hoped “measures such as closing high schools for women will be rescinded in the near future.”

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majid Al-Ansari, said the Taliban should hear from the Muslim world that “the teachings of Islam do not marginalize women.”

“We understand the sensitivity of donating to Afghanistan in this context, but we also insist on the importance of not isolating Afghanistan. This legitimizes extremist positions,” Ansari said.