Calls louder for Afghanistan aid

Taliban conference focuses on their achievements, to-dos

KABUL, Afghanistan — Five months into their rule of Afghanistan, the Taliban have increased revenue, cracked down on corruption and collected a surprising $1 billion in exports, the country’s United Nations representative said Wednesday.

At the same time, Deborah Lyons, head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, stressed the need for the Taliban to be inclusive and guarantee the rights of minorities and women.

“An economy thrives only when women and all segments of a society are equal participants,” she cautioned.

Lyons spoke at the economic conference organized by the Taliban — their first such event, held at a time when Afghanistan teeters on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe and economic collapse.

Kabul’s assets abroad, mainly in the United States, have been frozen after the Taliban overran the country in mid-August. Calls for the release of the money have grown in recent weeks.

Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres urged the international community to fund a $5 billion humanitarian appeal, release Afghanistan’s frozen assets, and jump-start its banking system to avert economic and social collapse.

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted an appeal to President Joe Biden.

“Afghanistan is facing a humanitarian catastrophe,” Sanders tweeted. “I urge the Biden administration to immediately release billions in frozen Afghan government funds to help avert this crisis, and prevent the death of millions of people.”

The international community has been hesitant to officially recognize a Taliban government, wary they could impose some of the same harsh measures as under their previous rule, 20 years ago.

More than 500,000 people in Afghanistan have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover in mid-August, the International Labor Organization said in a report released Wednesday.

The organization reported the crisis has paralyzed the economy and slammed the labor market. The situation is especially devastating for women and for people working in farming, government posts, social services and construction, with many people losing their jobs or not receiving their wages.

Many companies are hard pressed to stay afloat, as thousands of Afghans flee the country each day. Between 700,000-900,000 jobs are likely to have been lost by June as work becomes more scarce, the report read.

The economic fallout from the takeover has been vast, with cash shortages and limits on bank withdrawals leaving both companies and individuals struggling.

Women held about one in five jobs in Afghanistan in 2020, but are now being prevented from working in some areas. Education for girls has also been limited, though Taliban leaders have said they hope to be able to open all schools for girls across the country after late March.

Still, Lyons touted some of the bright spots while also warning that humanitarian needs are enormous — 1 million children at the risk of starvation, nearly 90% of the population below the poverty level and hunger threatening two-thirds of Afghanistan. The U.N. has warned that 8.7 million Afghans are on the brink of starvation.

“Exports have also reached the $1 billion mark for the first time ever, the payment of salaries to civil servants have been made,” Lyons said, and lauded the Taliban for their new budget, solely “financed by national revenues and not dependent on any donor grants.”

Representatives from humanitarian organizations and those from the diplomatic community still in Afghanistan also attended the conference as well as private business people, academics and Taliban Cabinet ministers. Taliban-appointed Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund chaired the meeting at the sprawling presidential palace in Kabul, a rare public appearance for him.

In his speech, Akhund called for the release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets, saying his administration is not asking for money.

“The help that we are asking is not for the officials of the government, it is for the poor nation,” he said.