KABUL (Pajhwok): The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank signed an agreement in Islamabad on establishing a trust fund to collect humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.
OIC chief Hissein Brahim Taha appealed to all member states, along with relevant stakeholders and partners, to support the Humanitarian Trust Fund for Afghanistan.
The signing ceremony of establishing the Humanitarian Trust Fund for Afghanistan took place in Islamabad ahead of the OIC foreign ministerial meeting.
The agreement was co-signed by the Secretary-General of the OIC and the President of the Islamic Development (IDB) Group, in the presence of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Speaking on the occasion, the OIC Secretary-General commended the efforts of the IDB Group’s president and personnel to set the Fund into effective motion.
The IDB President stressed the importance of the Fund in supporting the Afghan people, stressing the Bank’s commitment to that end. He also appealed to the Member States and international partners to contribute to and support the work of the Fund.
According to the OIC, the Fund was established by a resolution of the 17th extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers on 19 December 2021.
The Fund serves as a mechanism to deliver uninterrupted humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, in association with other international actors.
Meanwhile, foreign ministers from OIC member countries and other stakeholders came together Tuesday for the start of the two day meeting, which will see delegates address a number of issues including the crisis in Afghanistan.
Qureshi said the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan needed urgent action, asking OIC member states to contribute to the fund.
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