Afghanistan Peace CampaignHanif stated that the necessary facilities have been provided to aid organizations to continue their activities.
The Ministry of Economy organized a consultative meeting aimed at strengthening effectiveness and transparency in the operations of NGOs, with representatives from the United Nations and the European Union in attendance.
Din Mohammad Hanif, the acting Minister of Economy, criticized the lack of aid reaching certain provinces and districts, calling for a stronger focus on developmental assistance for Afghanistan. Hanif stated that the necessary facilities have been provided to aid organizations to continue their activities.
“The majority of NGOs concentrate their efforts in major cities, particularly key urban centers such as Herat, Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Mazar-e-Sharif, where flights are accessible. Meanwhile, some remote provinces remain almost deprived,” Hanif said.
UN officials at the meeting said that since August 2021, much of their aid has been allocated to humanitarian assistance, and that development aid will also be a focus in 2024. They added that 30% of the aid covers administrative and operational costs, while 70% is allocated directly to the Afghan people.
Richard Trenchard, head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Afghanistan, stated: “And for your information, as a general rule, and across the world, including Afghanistan, the United Nations aspires to keep and to respect the established international delivery benchmark of 30% of budgets to cover staff, administration costs, et cetera, and 70%, so 30-70, of total budgets to cover operations and the support that goes to beneficiaries, 30-70. That’s the international standard benchmark around the world.”
Isabelle Moussard Carlsen, Country Director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan, reported that in 2024, their goal was to provide aid to 17.3 million people by August, but they managed to reach 14.4 million.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that they have provided necessary assistance to returning migrants and internally displaced persons in various sectors across Afghanistan.
Laurence Hart, IOM representative, said at the meeting: “Through the Border Consortium and UNHCR, we work with a number of partners to provide post-arrival humanitarian assistance at the two border (area) points on the Pakistan border (area) and two on the Iran border. This involves multi-purpose cash assistance, again through local financial service providers, health support, protection, wash, and of course accommodation and meals for those that require it. This year, over 310,000 returnees have been supported through this program.”
Stephanie Loose, Country Program Manager of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat), said: “Our main aim is to create an enabling environment for people towards social, economic, and environmental development, including through living conditions, but also making sure people have better livelihoods. So we provide vocational trainings, and we also make sure that the living surroundings for people are adequate, because we understand socioeconomic vulnerability often is linked to where people live.”
OCHA also reported that from the beginning of this year until August, they have provided aid to over fourteen million people in Afghanistan.