WB OKs over $1b in Humanitarian aid for Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): In an expected move, the World Bank has announced more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

The US-based lender said the aid would be spent through UN agencies and international NGOs, with the Taliban government having no control on the money.

Aimed at strengthening the humanitarian response in harsh winter months, the aid is the reallocation from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).

A statement from the World Bank said the funds, to be delivered in the form of grants, would be used to support the delivery of basic services, protect vulnerable people and preserve human capital.

The statement added the funds were also aimed at supporting key economic and social services and reducing the need for humanitarian assistance in the future.

Approved by the World Bank’s Executive Board on Tuesday, the aid will be spent to finance education, agriculture, health and family programmes.

The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) was frozen in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover in last August, when foreign financial aid was cut off.

The lender promised a strong focus on ensuring that girls and women participated in and benefitted from the support.

PAN Monitor/mud

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