The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced that it has
approved a $ 405 million cash assistance package for Afghanistan.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a press release
yesterday that the new aid package will be distributed by the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency to provide immediate assistance to the Afghan people in
response to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Under its Sustaining Essential Services Delivery Project
(Support for Afghan People), ADB will provide direct financing to four United
Nations (UN) agencies which have presence and logistics in Afghanistan, for
immediate humanitarian support in response to the unprecedented crisis and to
help sustain the country’s human development. This direct support will be
implemented through the UN agencies and their partner nongovernmental
organizations.
Some 22.8 million people are at risk of acute food
insecurity, according to UN estimates. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will receive $135
million and $65 million respectively. These funds will enable the provision of
emergency food to over 800,000 people and farm inputs, fertilizers, or small
farm equipment to around 390,000 households. Around 168,000 people will be
covered under food-for-work and cash-for-work programs.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will receive
$200 million to maintain basic health care and essential hospital services,
covering a target population of about 5.3 million people, and the procurement
and deployment of 2.3 million single-dose coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
vaccines for priority groups.
The grant will also enable UNICEF to strengthen 10,000
community-based education classes—which use the same curriculum as public
schools but are funded by development partners and supervised by village
leaders—reaching around 264,000 children, 60% of which are girls.
UNICEF will provide professional development programs to 10,000 community-based education teachers. It will seek to promote the development of secondary education female teachers and the placement of up to 20,000 adolescent girls from vulnerable families in private schools. Stationary, textbooks, and other learning materials will be provided to 785,000 public school 1st graders through community-based councils.The United Nations Development Program will receive $5 million to monitor project implementation, undertake macroeconomic and social assessments in the country, and assess the impact of ADB’s assistance.
FAO, UNICEF, and WFP will engage third-party monitoring
firms to verify the delivery of support to targeted beneficiaries and monitor
project activities in the field.
The grants are financed by the Asian Development Fund which
provides grants to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable developing member
countries.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive,
resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts
to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49
from the region.
Source: Wadsam
