Afghanistan receives $80 million every two weeks as economy shrinks: report

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has also worsened since the return of the Taliban (Representative)

Kabul:

In a newly released report, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) highlighted that millions of dollars have been transported to Afghanistan in various shipments over the past three months.

SIGAR said each cargo had an average value of $80 million and was delivered to Kabul within 10 to 14 days, with proceeds held in UN accounts at private banks, TOLOnews reported.

“The State Department told SIGAR last quarter that UN cash shipments worth an average of $80 million each arrive in Kabul every 10 to 14 days. According to UNAMA, all cash is deposited into designated UN accounts at private banks; no cash will be deposited into central banks or given to the Taliban,” SIGAR’s report said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) pointed out in its latest report that around 69 percent of Afghans do not have access to sufficient resources for their basic needs.

According to the study, Afghanistan's economy has shrunk by 27 percent since 2020 and seven out of 10 Afghans are unable to meet their basic needs such as food, healthcare and work.

However, according to TOLOnews, the Taliban said that the aid money delivered to Kabul through the UN will be spent on education, health and development projects and that the Taliban is simply assessing the progress of the aid agencies' activities.

“The aid provided by countries is implemented through international institutions in Kabul; this money is at their disposal and the Islamic Emirate does not benefit from this money,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was quoted as saying by TOLOnews.

However, some economic analysts believe that the international community's support for the Afghan people is beneficial for Afghanistan as these monetary packages would contribute to the impoverished country's fiscal stability and economic growth.

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated since the collapse of the Afghan government and the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021.

The Ukraine crisis had a massive impact on the rise in food costs and resulted in essential goods becoming inaccessible to the common man.

Although the sectarian conflict in the country has subsided, serious human rights violations continue unabated, particularly against women and minorities.

Women and girls in Afghanistan are facing the brunt of the prevailing humanitarian crisis as they are deprived of basic rights to non-discrimination, education, work, public participation and health, Khaama Press reported.

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