UN warns Afghanistan at risk of ‘total breakdown’ – By Al Jazeera and News Agencies (Al Jazeera) / Sept 10 2021
UN calls for release of frozen assets to avoid economic and social collapse after UNDP said Afghanistan faces staggering poverty.
The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan is at risk of “total breakdown” of the international community does not find a way to keep money flowing into Afghanistan despite concerns over the Taliban government.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report released on Thursday that about 97 percent of Afghanistan’s population may sink below the poverty line unless the country’s political and economic crises are addressed.
Nearly $10bn of Afghanistan’s central bank assets are currently frozen overseas and considered key leverage over the new administration.
But the UN special envoy on Afghanistan Deborah Lyons told the Security Council on Thursday that a way needed to be found to get the money into the country “to prevent a total breakdown of the economy and social order” noting that Afghanistan was facing a storm of crises including a plunging currency, a sharp rise in prices for food and fuel and a lack of cash at private banks. The authorities also do not have the funds to pay salaries, she said.
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