UN chief urges major Afghan aid increase, unfreezing assets
India Today
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres urged nations to boost humanitarian aid for millions of Afghans living in "a frozen hell".
The UN chief urged nations Wednesday to greatly boost humanitarian aid for millions of Afghans living in "a frozen hell" and release nearly $9 billion in frozen assets to pull Afghanistan's economy back from the brink of a collapse that could set off a mass exodus of people fleeing the country.
"Time is of the essence," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council. "Without action, lives will be lost, and despair and extremism will grow." Guterres said liquidity must be urgently restored to the Afghan economy. He said that means freeing up the country's frozen currency reserves, re-engaging with its Central Bank and finding othr ways to inject money, including allowing international funds to pay the salaries of doctors, teachers, sanitation workers, electricians and other civil servants.
ALSO READ | Iranian Foreign Minister to arrive in India on Sunday
China and Russia reiterated their calls for unfreezing Afghan assets, while US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Biden administration is examining "various options to ease the liquidity crunch."
She said the United States, which announced an initial contribution of $308 million in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan on January 11, remains the largest provider of assistance to the country. But she said that "much more support from the international community will be required to meet the extraordinary level of need the Afghan people are experiencing."
Afghanistan's aid-dependent economy was already stumbling when the Taliban seized power last August amid the chaotic departure of US and NATO troops after 20 years. The international community froze Afghanistan's assets abroad and halted economic support, unwilling to work with the Taliban, given the brutality during their 1996-2001 rule and refusal to educate girls and allow women to work.
ALSO READ | Fact Check: Old video from Afghanistan passed off as Pakistan’s atrocities in Balochistan
