[ad_1]
The U.S. authorities strongly reacted to a press release made by a gaggle of 14 impartial United Nations consultants who say sure U.S. insurance policies concerning Afghanistan contribute to the sufferings of odd Afghans, notably ladies and kids.
The freezing of $7 billion in Afghan belongings in america, in addition to the worldwide monetary sanctions imposed on the Taliban, have worsened the continuing humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, the consultants warned.
“Whereas gender-based violence has been a long-standing and extreme menace to ladies and ladies, it has been exacerbated by the measures imposed by the U.S., along with the drought and widening gender-based discrimination adopted by the de facto authorities,” the consultants stated in a press release Monday.
A U.S. State Division spokesperson referred to as the assertion inaccurate and misrepresenting.
“The assertion by impartial consultants who advise the U.N. Human Rights Council however should not U.N. workers contradicts members of the U.N. management who’ve publicly welcomed the February 11 government order, understanding that it’s a part of an effort to guard and facilitate entry to $3.5 billion in Afghan central financial institution belongings for the good thing about the Afghan individuals,” the spokesperson advised VOA.
Within the government order, President Joe Biden launched half the frozen Afghan belongings for a humanitarian help belief fund for Afghanistan however stored the opposite half for ongoing litigation made by some U.S. households that misplaced family members within the 9/11 terror assaults in 2001. A federal choose will determine if the remaining $3.5 billion will be given to the plaintiffs.
“The February 11 actions marked a big step ahead in america’ effort to facilitate entry to a good portion of the funds for the good thing about the Afghan individuals. If we hadn’t taken motion, all the reserves would have been inaccessible indefinitely,” the spokesperson stated.
Sanctions
As a gaggle, the Taliban have been beneath strict terrorism-related U.S. monetary sanctions for greater than twenty years.
With the Taliban now in energy in Afghanistan, the U.S. sanctions are prolonged over the Afghan central financial institution and different monetary establishments managed by the group.
Whereas the sanctions goal Taliban leaders and insurance policies, their enforcement additionally damage the Afghan economic system and contribute to the worsening humanitarian disaster within the nation, support companies say.
“Humanitarian actors face severe operational challenges because of the uncertainty brought on by banks’ zero-risk insurance policies and over-compliance with sanctions,” the assertion stated.
U.S. officers preserve that they work carefully with the U.N. and U.S. allies to answer the disaster in Afghanistan.
“We’ve got labored with the U.N. and a private-sector firm to ship money into Afghanistan to offer liquidity for humanitarian help actions,” the State Division spokesperson stated.
To facilitate humanitarian support supply to Afghanistan, the U.S. Treasury Division has supplied waivers from sanctions, however consultants say the waivers haven’t been efficient.
Hungriest nation
Afghanistan has the best variety of individuals in emergency meals insecurity on this planet, in accordance with aid companies. About 95% of the nation’s estimated 36 million inhabitants can’t afford sufficient meals.
To deal with the disaster, donors have pledged $2.4 billion towards a U.N. name for $4.4 billion in humanitarian help to Afghans in 2022.
Now, with most Western donors centered on responding to the disaster in Ukraine, the Afghanistan humanitarian enchantment has solely acquired 13.5% of the pledged funding.
The U.S., which has pledged $720 million in humanitarian help to Afghanistan since August 2021, is the single-largest humanitarian donor to the nation.
[ad_2]