Catastrophe in Afghanistan

The UN special envoy to Afghanistan has warned the world that the country is on the brink of "human catastrophe" and that its collapsing economy could increase the risk of extremism.

Debra Lines told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the United Nations estimates that 60 percent of Afghanistan's 38 million people face a food crisis in the form of food emergencies and that the crisis season is over. It is likely to get worse in winter.

The UN envoy added that Afghanistan's growth rate, or GDP, is projected to decline by 40 percent.

Afghanistan's central bank's nearly $ 9.5 billion in reserves, most of them in the United States, were frozen after the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government.

In addition, the aid-dependent Afghan economy was due to receive about $450 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by August 23, but the IMF did so in light of the "unclear situation" regarding the Taliban government. The supply of this money has stopped.

"Sanctions on Afghanistan have paralyzed the country's banking sector, affecting every aspect of its economy," Debra Lines said.

He said that paralysis of banking sector would further destabilize the financial system of the country which would be more difficult to hold accountable and it would push the economic system towards exchange of informal currency.

"This situation could contribute not only to terrorism but also to smuggling and drug trafficking, which will affect Afghanistan first and then the region as a whole."

Debra Lines added that another "major negative development" of the situation was the failure of the Taliban to stop the spread of ISIS, whose presence is now visible in almost all provinces and which is increasingly active. ۔

He said that 334 attacks were carried out by ISIS this year, which was only 60 last year.

Lions urges the international community to find ways to provide financial assistance to the Afghan people, who it says have been left behind and are being punished for Which they never did. "Leaving them would be a historic mistake."

"We must focus on helping vulnerable Afghans during the winter in the next three or four months," Lions said.

He added: "The international community urgently needs to find a way to provide financial support to health workers, food security program staff and teachers in government hospitals, but also to the right of girls to education." It should be emphasized. '

He assured members of the Security Council that the United Nations would do everything possible to ensure that funds were not transferred to or from the Taliban.

China and Russia have called for the restoration of Afghanistan's assets, but US Deputy Ambassador Jeffrey de Laurent has made no mention of sanctions.

The US deputy ambassador criticized the Taliban for ignoring demands from the Security Council and the international community to work peacefully for the political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan and instead for a victory on the battlefield. Are fighting

"We are now witnessing the dire consequences of the victory, but the Afghan people must not pay the price for the Taliban's decisions," he said.

 De Laurent said the United States is the largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan, providing  $474 million in 2021, and urged the United States to increase its aid.

The only way to avoid losing most of the progress that has been made in Afghanistan over the past 20 years is for the Taliban to avoid isolation and engage with other Afghan parties, the region and the international community through policy dialogue, Lions said.

He said the aim should be to draw up a roadmap with concrete steps to establish "constructive relations between Afghanistan and the world".

Lions said she continues to raise other issues with the Taliban, including the restoration of women's and minority rights and the establishment of a more comprehensive and broad-based government.

"There is no woman in the Afghan cabinet," he said. At the capital and at the provincial level, all positions have been filled by Pashtuns and only the Taliban.

The Taliban government has not yet been recognized by any country or UN. Afghanistan's UN seat is still held by Ghulam M. Ishaqzai, a representative of the Ashraf Ghani government.

Ishaqzai told the Security Council that Afghanistan was facing a historic crisis.

"The lives of millions of Afghans are at stake, including the failed economy, the severe food crisis, the lack of security, fundamental rights and freedoms," he said. If current trends continue, Afghanistan will become the poorest country in the world.