World Bank has suspended aid to Afghanistan due to plight of women after Taliban arrival

The World Bank (WB) announced on Tuesday that it was suspending aid to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power, although it explores how to stay “committed” to “supporting the Afghan people”.

“We have suspended (financial) projects as part of our operations in Afghanistan and we are monitoring and assessing the situation closely “explained to AFP agency spokesperson. “We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the country’s development prospects, especially for women.added the BM.

The official did not indicate the amount of planned shipments until the Taliban took power less than 10 days ago. Until there, the World Bank had about 20 development projects in Afghanistan. Since 2002, it provides $ 5.3 billion domestically, mostly in the form of grants.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), for its part, announced on August 18 that it was suspending aid for Afghanistan. “As always, the IMF is guided by the views of the international community,” a spokesperson told the AFP.

“Currently there is a lack of clarity within the international community regarding the recognition of a government in Afghanistan, which means that the country cannot access SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) or other IMF resources, ”he added.

The IMF was to publish a Final tranche of aid to Kabul under a program approved on November 6, 2020 for a total amount of $ 370 million.

UN Women said this week that after 20 years of work, the decline in Afghan women’s rights “is unacceptable” and that They “have evidence” that the Taliban restrict the movement of women human rights defenders and those in charge of essential services, such as food.

“Many women and girls fear going back to a dark time in their country. At that time, the circulation of women without men was restricted and they could not work either. The Taliban have said they will give women rights under Islamic law, but we have to see what that entails, ”she said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday announced the mobilization of 600 million euros in aid to Afghanistan, around a hundred of them in the immediate future, to alleviate the humanitarian crisis on the ground.

“We are going to provide 100 million euros of immediate aid and then 500 million more”, said Merkel, before specifying that Aid will be channeled through United Nations (UN) agencies.

The Chancellor added that Germany is also ready to cooperate with the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, such as Pakistan or Iran, for the reception of refugees, according to statements collected by the German newspaper world.

Ultimately, Merkel has confirmed that there are no new deadlines for the evacuation of the capital, Kabul, after US President Joe Biden ratified the August 31 date. for the final withdrawal of American troops from the country, including the 6,000 soldiers who are trying to coordinate the extractions in the Afghan capital.

“Today there is no new data on the known date of August 31 that the President of the United States of America mentioned, but it would be very important that we could have a civilian airport again as soon as possible», Indicated the president.

However, this week, UN humanitarian agencies denounced a “traffic jam” for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and called for the establishment of an “immediate humanitarian airlift”.

The Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Richard brennan, explained that due to restrictions at Kabul airport, the agency is unable to deliver around 500 tonnes of medical supplies scheduled for this week.

For its part, the World Food Program (WFP) reported that its operations continued throughout Afghanistan, however, the WFP director for Afghanistan, Mary-Ellen McGroarty, called for “rapid and coordinated action” to avoid “an absolute humanitarian catastrophe” because of the “immediate” need for “food, shelter and medical supplies for the country”.

“If the next six or seven weeks are delayed, it will start to be too late. People have nothing. We need to introduce food now and bring it to the communities in the provinces, before the snow blocks the roads. “, he alerted.

(With AFP, EFE, EuropaPress information)

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