World Bank says donors approve release of 280 million USD for Afghanistan
(VOVWORLD) - International donors agreed to release 280 million USD in aid to Afghanistan, the World Bank said on Friday.
 Refugee children in Balkh, Afghanistan, on November 20, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) |
The fund from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) will go "to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan at this critical time," the World Bank said in a statement. The funds will go to UNICEF and the World Food Programme, who will use them to cover financing gaps in their existing programs to deliver health and nutrition services directly to the Afghan people.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Afghanistan is on the brink of the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Around 22 million Afghans, or more than half the country, will face an "acute" food shortage in the winter months, forcing millions to choose between migration and starvation.
That is due to the combined effects of drought caused by global warming, and an economic crisis aggravated by the international community's decision to freeze funding to the aid-dependent nation after the Taliban takeover in August.