Foreign institutions deceivewith wrong figures: Officials

KABUL (Tolo News): The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) says that some foreign institutions are misleading the people and the world by presenting false statistics about humanitarian aid. Officials of the NSIA criticize the way foreign aid is being provided, saying that tens of millions of dollars are being embezzled in the name of the Afghan people.
“Unfortunately, foreign institutions, including the WFP and most other institutions, give different and wrong figures to the people every day, and in this way they want to deceive the people of Afghanistan and the world. Unfortunately, these figures have no basis,” said Hasibullah Muwahed, deputy director of the NSIA. The Deputy Director of the National Statistics and Information Authority added that immediate aid not only does not solve the country’s economic problems, but also increases the poverty rate in Afghanistan.
“Not only does this not help reduce poverty, but it also causes more poverty,” said Hasibullah Muwahed, deputy director of the NSIA. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy says that it is difficult to improve the economic situation of the country with humanitarian aid. “Humanitarian aid can keep the nation alive, but it cannot make the people self-sufficient,” said Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesman for the Ministry of Economy.
Some foreign institutions spend millions of dollars a month on humanitarian aid. Statistics from the World Food Program (WFP) show that the program has spent $2.6 billion to deliver food to more than 18 million people in Afghanistan. In the meantime, some economists are calling for a change in the way humanitarian aid is delivered in Afghanistan, saying such aid is not economically viable.
“It does not make any sense economically, and it does not have any moral issues socially,” said Sayed Massoud, an economist. Some residents of the country believe that humanitarian aid is not properly distributed to those in need. “Most of the aid which they receive is distributed to their own relatives, but it does not reach the deserving people at all,” a teacher said.
“If job opportunities are provided for the people, we will find a piece of bread ourselves,” said Mohammad Hamed, teacher. All aid is currently being provided through international organizations in the country, and the United Nations has requested $5 billion in aid to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.