Taliban eye bigger role in aid distribution

KABUL (BNA): The meeting of the “High Committee for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid” was held at the Ministry of Finance today.
According to BNA, the meeting was attended by Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister and a number of cabinet members and officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ramiz Al-Akbarov, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan, and representatives of a number of international organizations.
First, Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister, appreciated the cooperation and humanitarian aid of the international community and stressed the need for greater coordination in the distribution of this aid to needy people. Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi called on international aid agencies to use existing government capacities in coordination with the committee to ensure the transparency and effectiveness of humanitarian aid and to prevent any use of aid to be distributed to those in need.
He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls for a transparent, accountable and oversight process of equitable distribution, without discrimination and segregation with freedom of action and effective ways of delivering aid to the needy, and welcomed the new United Nations request for 2022, which is worth $ 4.4 billion.
Ramiz Al-Akbarov, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan, also assured that the organization will continue to distribute aid to the needy and thanked the Islamic Emirate for its cooperation in securing UN institutions. The Acting Minister of Finance and the Acting Deputy Minister of Finance and Administration of the Ministry of Economy also thanked the international community for its humanitarian assistance and assured the aid agencies of their cooperation.