Reflecting concern that the deep ideological impasse between the Taliban and the international community is driving millions of Afghans into impoverishment, they are calling for a clear road map that will lead to the restoration of the core functions of the Afghan central bank and the release of Afghan assets frozen abroad; mainly in the USA. The NGOs are asking for the disbursement of the much-needed Afghan banknotes that have been printed but seized in Poland. Talks to free up the central bank’s assets have been stalled for months, in part because the West is not yet ready to lift sanctions until the Taliban form a more diverse government, allow girls to go back to high school and allow independent control of the Afghanistan central bank. The European Union reiterated these general demands in a statement issued on Sunday. The 32 NGOs – representing most of the major agencies operating in the country – say: “Over the past 12 months millions of Afghans have endured a new wave of hardship, with widespread hunger, unemployment and near-universal poverty. Ninety-five percent of the population does not have enough food to eat. Women and girls suffer disproportionately. NGOs on the ground report that families are forced to make impossible choices to survive. “The country suffers from an undersupply of humanitarian aid that is often channeled in cash, as opposed to long-term development aid that can pay the salaries of teachers and hospital workers, as well as keep the infrastructure of public services running.” Samira Sayed Rahman, Afghanistan-based advocacy coordinator for the International Rescue Committee, one of the NGOs that signed the statement, said: “On a recent trip to the south and southeast, I saw a health care system in collapse. Hospitals have not had the money to pay their staff for months. They have no money for medicines and drugs. They have no money for equipment. Much of the health care sector is run by the goodwill of Afghan doctors and nurses. This is not a sustainable model. Many are trying to leave.” Asuntha Charles, World Vision Afghanistan country director, said: “The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is dire and children – as always in crises like this – are at the forefront. Over 4 million children are out of school, most of them girls, and more than 1.1 million are engaged in child labour. I have met families who were forced to sell their children, as young as three years old, just to survive. As the world’s attention drifts, Afghans fall deeper and deeper into ruin. We can’t turn our backs on them now.” Vicki Aken, the Afghanistan director for the International Rescue Committee, said: “At the root of this crisis is the country’s economic collapse. Decisions taken last year to isolate the Taliban – including freezing foreign reserves, freezing the banking system and cutting off development aid that funded most government services – have had a devastating impact. Extreme poverty is reducing demand for goods, forcing Afghan companies out of business, contributing to rising unemployment and exacerbating food insecurity. “We need to find a solution urgently. Humanitarian aid, while vital, cannot replace a functioning economy. For months, NGOs have been calling for a change in approach, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. There is no excuse for further inaction. It is time for donors and decision-makers to take responsibility and work to create a road map for exiting Afghanistan’s economic crisis by supporting the Afghan central bank and ultimately beginning the gradual, monitored release of frozen assets.” . US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson last met with Taliban officials in late July in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to discuss terms for the disengagement. £3.5bn £2.9bn) assets of the Afghan central bank held in the US. Another $3.5 billion has been controversially allocated by the Biden administration to help victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The West is unhappy with the Taliban’s appointment of a US-designated global terrorist, Noor Ahmad Agha, as deputy governor of the central bank. The US has been pushing for a body independent of the central bank to oversee the handling of any returned assets. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The NGOs in their statement did not go into details but said that “necessary safeguards should be in place” if the bank’s reserves are returned. The bank’s inability to access capital led to a sharp devaluation of the Afghan currency, driving up import prices and leading to a near-collapse of the banking system, with citizens struggling to access savings and receive salaries. The NGOs are also asking donors and international financial institutions to disburse the remaining funds to the Afghan Reconstruction Fund administered by the World Bank, as well as to expand the role of NGOs in the fund. In June the fund’s management committee approved disbursing $793 million in two installments to more long-term projects outside Taliban control. NGOs say funding and support should also go to Afghan civil society organizations, particularly those led by women inside and outside the country. Fereshta Abbasi, researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “Hard gains over the past 20 years are quickly being undone as women and girls are systematically erased from public life. They no longer have access to the rights to education, work or free movement. The women I talk to feel struck by an overwhelming sense of abandonment, a sense of hopelessness. We must listen to their calls.”
