UN Chief Calls For Release Of Frozen Afghan Bank Reserves, More Aid To Fight Starvation
January 13, 2022
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the conditional release of frozen Afghan foreign currency reserves and urgent international funding as millions of people in the country face starvation in a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
"International funding should be allowed to pay the salaries of public-sector workers, and to help Afghan institutions deliver health care, education, and other vital services," Guterres also told reporters in New York on January 13.
International assistance accounted for 40 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product and 80 percent of its budget before the Taliban took control of the country in mid-August with the collapse of the internationally-backed government.
When the Taliban captured Kabul, international support dried up and some $9.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves were frozen outside the country, mainly in the United States.
"The function of Afghanistan's Central Bank must be preserved and assisted, and a path identified for conditional release of Afghan foreign currency reserves," Guterres said.
"We must do even more to rapidly inject liquidity into the economy and avoid a meltdown that would lead to poverty, hunger, and destitution for millions," he said.
The appeal comes as UN aid chief Martin Griffiths will hold a virtual talk with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on January 14.
Guterres said the two would discuss creating mechanisms to "allow for an effective injection of funds into the Afghan economy" that would also "create the conditions for the financial system in Afghanistan to be able to operate in the local currency."
In an interview with the Associated Press, the UN's World Food Program chief in Afghanistan Mary-Ellen McGroarty called on the international community to put humanitarian issues above political considerations to avoid disaster by making sure that aid money can reach the country.
McGroarty said international funding can get into the country independently of the Taliban
According to the UN humanitarian organization, 22.8 million people face acute food shortages in Afghanistan and 8.7 million are close to starvation.
With reporting by AP and Reuters
Source: https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghanistan- guterres-bank-reserves-starvation/31653104.html
Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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