To help a nation that’s struggling with famine, rapid economic deterioration, and a crippled government, the United Nations is launching its largest appeal for aid in the organization’s history: a plan to raise $4.4 billion to provide aid and services to Afghanistan.
The U.N. announced in December that the appeal is part of an $8 billion program for 2022 that will cover everything from filling in for government functions to job creation to providing school meals for children. The U.N. already works in Afghanistan strengthening social services and governance, and the $8 billion would provide additional aid. A U.N. representative recently commented in the media that while Afghanistan finds its footing, the international organization wants to make sure that Afghans have hope, dignity, and support.
“[It’s] important to support systems, not lose the gains made in past years,” said Ramiz Alakbarov, deputy special representative of the U.N. Secretary-General and the Afghanistan humanitarian coordinator.
Recent struggles
Since upheaval in August, the Afghan economy has faltered as the U.S. froze about $9 billion in Afghan bank assets and the national banking system foundered under financial sanctions. The economy has contracted as much as 40%, and the impact has reached individuals. Financial strain on businesses has caused many workers, especially in the public sector, to not receive paycheck in months. The U.N. estimates that half of Afghanistan’s people are nearing starvation, facing poverty and hunger in the middle of winter. To add to the difficulty, the afghani has lost significant value against the dollar and the prices of commodities have increased.
The country also faces systemic issues with recent governing changes, including lack of recognition from the international community and lack of action on issues involving everything from education to the workforce. Some officials worry that if the country’s struggles persist for too long, Afghanistan will see a massive population shift as millions of people leave the country looking for work, opportunity, and better living conditions. International aid officials hope that by getting money and support to individual Afghans, they can avoid an economic crash.
International Aid
The U.N. plans could exceed the international aid that Afghanistan received in 2021, when international donors gave more than $1 billion in the final months of the year as the crisis in Afghanistan grew. In November, that funding paid for food supplies for 7 million people, and the U.N.’s $4.4 billion appeal in 2022 also will fund food, shelter, and other necessities. Afghanistan also will receive $1.2 billion, which the World Bank spends annually on the country, in 2022. About one-fourth of that sum will be sent to U.N. agencies.
The additional $3.6 billion the U.N. has identified for need in 2022 will help people move beyond survival, paying the salaries of staffs at schools and hospitals and helping farmers and small businesses. The U.N. already is helping some of Afghanistan’s hardest-hit sectors and groups—for example, by giving poor families a $230 payout and paying about $5 a day to around 30,000 people who are cleaning irrigation canals in Herat province in western Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has seen some good news recently. In late December, the U.S. lifted some sanctions, which will make it easier for Afghanistan to receive aid that will benefit schools and pay the salaries of government workers. A newly adopted U.N. resolution, which was sponsored by the U.S., exempts humanitarian assistance and “other activities that support basic human needs” from sanctions for a year. These changes are part of a larger focus on freeing up humanitarian organizations to do their work in Afghanistan and building the confidence of private international banks that do business with Afghanistan.
The U.S. Treasury has reiterated its support of the people of Afghanistan, and its new “general license” for humanitarian work will make it easier for the country to conduct international financial transactions—with the caveat that the money is intended for projects focused on issues such as protecting the environment, meeting basic human needs, and developing civil society. U.S. officials within Afghanistan have praised the U.S. move, noting that it will help both the private sector and nongovernmental organizations work in Afghanistan even with sanctions in place. In addition, the U.S. Treasury recently allowed personal remittance payments to be sent to individuals in Afghanistan, and the U.S. is donating 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in addition to more than 3 million doses it already has contributed.
More Aid Needed
Looking ahead, experts say that need in Afghanistan will remain significant, with a stable economy and banking system a key priority. Other countries invested in Afghanistan’s future, particularly China, have called for the international community to step up efforts to work together to address what one official described as “shocking levels of need and suffering.” While the long-term outlook on Afghanistan remains uncertain, international aid leaders hope that recent investment in the country will preserve the social and economic gains made in Afghanistan in the last 20 years and help the country eventually move froward.