UN chief Antonio Guterres urges nations to greatly boost humanitarian aid for millions of Afghans on the brink of starvation and to release nearly $9 billion in frozen assets
The UN chief has urged nations to greatly boost humanitarian aid for millions of Afghans living in “a frozen hell” and release nearly $9 billion in frozen assets to pull Afghanistan’s economy back from the brink of a collapse that could set off a mass exodus of people fleeing the country.
“Time is of the essence,” Guterres told the Security Council. “Without action, lives will be lost, and despair and extremism will grow.” The international community froze Afghanistan’s assets abroad and halted economic support, unwilling to work with the Taliban, given the brutality during their 1996-2001 rule and refusal to educate girls and allow women to work.