Photo courtesy APP
Muslim bloc’s secretary-general urges all member states and other stakeholders to contribute to the Fund for the welfare of the Afghan people
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Monday formally launched the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund to help mitigate the humanitarian and economic crises facing the war-torn state following Kabul’s foreign exchange reserves being frozen by the U.S.
The 57-nation OIC and the Islamic Development Bank signed the charter of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund at a ceremony in Islamabad ahead of the 48th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers being hosted by Pakistan. The OIC had committed to the establishment of the Fund during the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC CFM that was held in Islamabad on Dec. 19, 2021.
Addressing the Charter signing ceremony, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi emphasized that the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan warranted urgent action. According to the Foreign Office, he requested OIC member states, Islamic financial institutions, donors and other international partners to donate aid to the Fund and play a leading role in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. He also maintained that humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people would constitute an important facet of Pakistan’s forthcoming chairmanship of the OIC CFM.
During his speech, Qureshi felicitated the president of the Islamic Development Bank and his team for launching the Trust Fund within the stipulated timeframe of three months. He also acknowledged the efforts being made by OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha and his special envoy for Afghanistan for galvanizing international humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people.
The foreign minister emphasized the need to redouble efforts to ensure the urgent and ascendant humanitarian needs of the Afghan people were fulfilled.
In a brief statement issued after the signing of the Charter, the OIC secretary general stressed that Afghans have been “enduring very difficult times since the change in regime in Kabul,” adding that the Fund aimed at supporting the Afghan people. “I will conclude by making a call for all the member states of OIC, all the stakeholders, to participate and to contribute to this fund,” he added.
Muhammad Sulaiman Al-Jasser, the president of the Islamic Development Bank, said that the lender was committed to “expeditiously” dispersing the funds mobilized by the OIC, adding that it would coordinate with the U.N. and other international organizations to work toward implementing a “comprehensive phased approach” to promote self-reliance, long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan. “This can be achieved by enhancing agriculture productivity to promote food security, supporting small and medium enterprises to create local employment opportunities and ensuring access to quality education, especially for females,” he added.
The Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund aims to ensure the welfare of nearly two thirds of Afghanistan’s population—around 23 million people—who the U.N. has said need urgent humanitarian assistance. The World Food Program has warned that 9 million Afghans are on the brink of starvation.