United Nations envoy says Afghan economic crisis looms

United Nations, September 10

The UN special envoy for Afghanistan urged the world on Thursday to unite to prevent the collapse of the Afghan economy, to address fears that the Taliban's Islamic state may spread to its neighbours, and to fight terrorism.

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Deborah Lyons warned that the Taliban had already “visibly welcomed and sheltered” al-Qaida members, and Islamic State extremists remained active “and could gain strength”.

She told the UN Security Council that it would have to decide how to engage with many of the 33 members of the Taliban government who are on the UN sanctions blacklist, including the prime minister, the two deputy prime ministers and the foreign minister.

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But Lyons said the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan must be addressed now, while warning there is another “looming crisis” caused by the freezing of billions of dollars in Afghan assets. The freeze would cause “a severe economic downturn that could throw many more millions into poverty and hunger” and might spark a refugee exodus and set the country back for generations, she said.

Lyons said ways must be found to provide humanitarian relief “on a huge scale”. There is also a need, she said, to quickly allow money to flow to Afghanistan to “prevent a total breakdown of the economy and social order”, though while creating safeguards to ensure the money is not misused by the Taliban authorities.

The Afghanistan central bank's USD 9 billion in reserves, most of which is held in the United States, was frozen after the collapse of the former government.

Afghanistan was also slated to access about USD 450 million on August 23 from the International Monetary Fund, but the IMF blocked the release because of a “lack of clarity” about a new government.

"The economy must be allowed to breathe for a few more months, giving the Taliban a chance to demonstrate flexibility and a genuine will to do things differently this time, notably from a human rights, gender and counterterrorism perspective,” Lyons said.

Russia's UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told the council that humanitarian aid is critical and Afghanistan's frozen assets should be released soon.

"Afghanistan is on the verge of an economic collapse" that will create a larger humanitarian crisis and exacerbate migration in the region and the world, he said. AP