Muhammad Asad
ISLAMABAD: The organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Islamic Development Bank (IDB) have singed the charter of Humanitarian Trust Fund for Afghanistan in Islamabad on Monday.
The document was signed by the Secretary General, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), HE Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha, and President, Islamic Development Bank (IDB), HE Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al-Jasser, in the presence of the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, senior diplomats and government officials in Ministry of Foreign Affairs today on Monday.
The ceremony was impatiently awaiting by the people of Afghanistan as well as Pakistan because this documentation will pave the path for materialization of pledges made by the countries and donor organizations during the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Islamabad on 19 December 2021.
While addressing the Charter Signing Ceremony, Foreign Minister, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi highlighted that the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan merits urgent action by the members of the OIC and donors Countries to comprehend their pledges at earliest to avert the disaster in Afghanistan.
Qureshi acknowledged the efforts being made by the OIC Secretary General and his Special Envoy for Afghanistan for mobilization of the international humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan.
He also praised the President, Islamic Development Bank, and his team for launching the Trust Fund within a short time period of three months.
Foreign Minister Qureshi urged the OIC member nations, the Islamic Financial Institutions, donor countries and global charitable organizations to make donations to the Trust Fund, so the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan can be initiated without any delay.
Qureshi was of the view that the humanitarian assistance to the Afghan People would constitute an important facet of Pakistan’s Chairmanship of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) for the next term.
While addressing the event, OIC Secretary General said that the trust aims to support the Afghan people in the face of dire humanitarian crisis and to assist the Afghan government to tackle the situation through provision of resources and capacity building of government institutions of Afghanistan.
Secretary General, Hissein Brahim Taha urged the international community, member nations and donor countries to display generosity and support the fund.
The President Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al-Jasser said that the fund will focus on the comprehensive approach for stability of Afghan people, economic self-reliance of the Afghan economy through promotion of small and medium enterprises, support to country’s agriculture sector and creation of supportive environment for women and youth to enable them to coup up the economic challenges in the country.
Several countries had made pledges during the 17th extra ordinary meeting of OIC CFM in Islamabad last year but waiting for the launch of trust fund by the parties, Pakistan announced a humanitarian assistance package of Rs. 5 billion for Afghanistan and first shipment containing essential commodities and other goods had been dispatched to Afghanistan few weeks back.
