Should create conditions for cash injection in Afghan: UN chief Guterres

Expressing concern over the absence of cash in Afghanistan, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the international community to create conditions conducive to injecting liquidity into the economy of the war-torn country, said a media report.

Guterres's remarks came during a joint press conference with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday, where he noted that Afghanistan's economy might collapse in absence of cash and liquidity leading to devastating consequences for the Afghan people, reported Khaama Press.

"We have decided since the very beginning to engage actively with the Taliban and we have a massive humanitarian operation in Afghanistan, but we recognize that humanitarian aid is not enough," the media outlet quoted him as saying.

He also highlighted the UN's efforts in helping Afghanistan by bringing banknotes amounting to USD 500 million by plane into the country.

Announcing to be working with Afghanistan's Central Bank and American Treasury so that obstacles for unfreezing funds be removed, the UN chief also urged the World Bank to disburse the amount of money foreseen for Afghanistan.

Reiterating his call for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, Guterres said, "We believe naturally that we need to do everything for the good of the people in Afghanistan, but we are also engaging with the Taliban very seriously in relation to the inclusivity of government and inclusivity between men and women, but also inclusivity in order for Uzbeks, Tajiks, Hazar, as it was said, to be fully included in the political process in Afghanistan."

He further expressed hope that Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorists and that ban on secondary schools for girls and working for women be lifted soon in the country, according to the media outlet.

Notably, the situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power in August last year. Although the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated.

Further, the country is grappling with a serious humanitarian crisis as according to international assessments, Afghanistan has now the highest number of people in emergency food insecurity in the world, with more than 23 million in need of assistance, and approximately 95 per cent of the population having insufficient food consumption.