Immediately after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021, the United States froze nearly 7 billion in Afghan assets at the New York Federal Reserve.
Since then, organizations and individuals in both the United States and Europe have been urging Washington to freeze funds.
A few days ago, the US House of Representatives also recommended the release of humanitarian funds to deal with the economic and humanitarian disasters facing the people of Afghanistan.
Last month, 40 US lawmakers called on Secretary of State Anthony Blanken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen to release humanitarian aid to avert economic collapse in Afghanistan.
However, the strongest appeal came from the head of the United Nations, who warned that “Afghanistan has a nightmare” and that the world was “running out of time to help the Afghan people.”
“Children are being sold to feed their siblings, frozen health facilities are overflowing with malnourished children, people are burning their belongings to stay warm and livelihoods across the country,” said Antonio Guterres. it is finished.
During a news briefing in New York, a journalist reminded the UN chief that the situation in Afghanistan had worsened and asked him if he was ready to “pick up the phone and talk to the Taliban” so that he could Make the necessary reforms to end the economic siege.
On which the Secretary General said that first of all it is clear that there is a serious situation of human rights violations in Afghanistan and (conditions for lifting the blockade) have not been fulfilled yet.
However, Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for the Taliban’s failure not to be linked to the humanitarian crisis.
“The need for humanitarian aid and the avoidance of economic catastrophe in Afghanistan is something we are fighting for, because the people of Afghanistan are in a very depressing situation,” he said.
He further added that collective punishment of the people of Afghanistan would be a mistake just because the current rulers were not behaving properly.
Stressing the need to separate the two, he said, “We will continue our operation on humanitarian grounds.”
“We will continue to insist on the need for liquidity so that the economy is not ruined and the people are not left in a state of despair,” he said.
At the same time, he said, the United Nations would continue to work with the Taliban on the question of human rights as well as terrorism and the issue of comprehensive governance.