UN chief tells Security Council: Afghanistan ‘hanging by thread’

Afghanistan is “hanging by a thread,” with thousands and thousands struggling excessive starvation, schooling and social providers getting ready to collapse and a scarcity of liquidity limiting the capability to achieve folks in want, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres advised the Security Council on Wednesday.
“We must droop the principles and situations that constrict not solely Afghanistan’s financial system, however our lifesaving operations.
At this second of most want, these guidelines should be critically reviewed,” Guterres advised the 15-member council.
He once more known as for international locations to difficulty normal licenses overlaying transactions essential to all humanitarian actions.

“We need to give financial institutions and commercial partners legal assurance that they can work with humanitarian operators without fear of breaching sanctions,” Guterres stated.
Some $9.5 billion in Afghan central financial institution reserves stay blocked exterior the nation and worldwide help given to the earlier authorities has dried up for the reason that Taliban seized energy final August.

“We need to jump-start Afghanistan’s economy through increased liquidity. We must pull the economy back from the brink. This means finding ways to free up frozen currency reserves and re-engage Afghanistan’s Central Bank,” Guterres stated.
In December, donors to a frozen World Bank-administered Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund agreed to switch $280 million to the World Food Program (WFP) and U.N. kids’s company UNICEF to help diet and well being in Afghanistan.
“We need the remaining $1.2 billion to be freed up urgently, to help Afghanistan’s people survive the winter,” Guterres stated.
“Time is of the essence.”
The United Nations earlier this month appealed for $4.4 billion in humanitarian assist for Afghanistan in 2022. On Wednesday, it stated it wanted an additional $3.6 billion for well being and schooling, primary infrastructure, promotion of livelihoods and social cohesion, particularly the wants of ladies and women.

The United Nations has pledged to work with international locations to make sure that funds usually are not diverted or misused, however the U.N. particular envoy on Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, famous on Wednesday that there was nonetheless reluctance amongst donors to unlock funds.
“It is clear that donors, who face their own domestic constituencies, are still not satisfied with the political progress in Afghanistan and are watching closely for encouraging signals,” Lyons stated.