The World Bank has resumed work on three projects in Afghanistan focused on health, agriculture and livelihoods, but will maintain a hold on some $150 million for education projects, two sources familiar with the decision said on Tuesday.
The multilateral development bank had put all four projects, valued at around $600 million, on hold in late March, citing its deep concerns over the Taliban’s ban on girls attending public high school.
Group of Seven partners and other major donors to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) will meet to discuss the country’s mounting economic and food security problems on Friday during the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the US Treasury announced on Monday.
Some multilateral organizations, including the IMF, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Islamic Development Bank, will also take part, one of the sources said.
When it halted work on the four programs, the World Bank noted that its policies required all ARTF-financed activities to support access to – and equity of services for – women and girls in Afghanistan.
Officials decided to “resume preparations” for the three noneducation projects, valued at around $450 million, given the deepening economic crisis in Afghanistan worsened by rising food and energy prices triggered by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, one of the sources said.
Afghan students are seen in an university in Herat city, Herat province, Afghanistan, Feb. 26, 2022.Photo:Xinhua
