ISLAMABAD, December 19 (APP): A specially convened meeting of the 57 OIC Member States on Sunday pledged to play a leading role in delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan torn apart by the war and unanimously agreed to establish a humanitarian trust fund, launch a food security program and work with the World Health Organization to obtain vaccines and medical supplies.
The meeting of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC Foreign Ministers Council, held at the initiative of Saudi Arabia and hosted by Pakistan, gathered around 70 delegates from Member States, international aid agencies and special representatives.
The unanimously adopted resolution brings a ray of hope for the 22.8 million people – more than half of the population of Afghanistan – who face severe food shortages; while 3.2 million children and 700,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at risk of acute malnutrition.
The document adopted after day-long deliberations here in Parliament also expressed solidarity with the Afghans and reiterated the commitment of OIC member states to help bring peace, security, stability and development in Afghanistan.
The special meeting was called as UN estimates warned that 60% of Afghanistan’s 38 million people face “hunger crisis levels” and that the situation is getting worse every day. The OIC also expressed deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan in his opening speech warned; “Unless action is taken immediately, Afghanistan is heading for chaos. He said “chaos is not for anyone” and urged the world to understand the gravity of the situation and to reach out to the Afghan people who are facing famine.
The Council of Foreign Ministers also took into account that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees pointed out that 665,000 people were newly displaced in Afghanistan between January and September 2021 – in addition to the 2.9 million people already internally displaced by the conflict in Afghanistan.
Expressing its deep concern over the collapse of the Afghan health system, epidemics and severe malnutrition, especially in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the OIC decided to establish a Humanitarian Trust Fund, under the aegis the Islamic Development Bank; which would serve as a vehicle for delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including in partnership with other international actors.
The Council of Foreign Ministers decided that the OIC General Secretariat, in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank and the Humanitarian Trust Fund, will initiate discussions with the organizations of the United Nations system to develop a sheet to mobilize actions in the relevant forums in order to unblock financial and banking channels to resume liquidity and the flow of financial and humanitarian aid. It would also develop a mechanism for disbursing urgent and sustained humanitarian aid to the Afghan people.
In this regard, the Islamic Development Bank was urged to rapidly operationalize the Humanitarian Trust Fund by the first quarter of 2022. At the same time, the meeting called on the OIC Member States, Islamic financial institutions, donors and other international partners to announce commitments in favor of the Humanitarian Trust. Fund for Afghanistan as well as to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
The meeting expressed deep alarm at the deteriorating economic situation in Afghanistan, which it said was further exacerbated by the continued freezing of Afghan assets abroad as well as other international aid, exacerbating pressing cash flow issues, including the payment of salaries to public officials, and hampering the delivery of essential public and social services to the Afghan people.
The debate, which was also addressed by the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Niger, Jordan, OIC Secretary General, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, President of the Islamic Development Bank, warned that an economic collapse in Afghanistan would lead to a mass exodus of refugees, promoting extremism, terrorism and instability, with dire consequences for regional and international peace and stability.
The Council of Foreign Ministers praised the hospitality of Pakistan and Iran, which have hosted millions of Afghan refugees for more than four decades. He also pointed out that millions of Afghan refugees are already residing in neighboring countries and beyond due to the protracted conflict and economic and social challenges spanning more than 40 years.
The meeting underscored the need to support Afghanistan in the fight against poverty, job creation and the provision of essential services to its citizens, especially food, clean water, quality education and health services.
The OIC, while deciding to launch a food security program in Afghanistan, requested the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) to undertake the necessary work in this regard using the capacity of the food security reserves of organization, if necessary.
He also urged the OIC Member States, international donors, United Nations funds and programs and other international actors to generously contribute to the food security agenda in Afghanistan.
The meeting reiterated its appeal to the OIC Secretary General to engage with donor financial institutions to provide the necessary humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghanistan as well as to Afghan refugees in neighboring countries.
An urgent appeal was also made to the OIC Member States, the international community, including the United Nations system, international organizations and international financial institutions to continue providing Afghanistan with all the resources. assistance possible and necessary for recovery, reconstruction, development, financial, educational, technical and material. political tools to promote the realization and enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms by all Afghan citizens.
The Islamabad Moot also decided to appoint Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Family Affairs at the OIC General Secretariat, as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the Organization of the United Nations. Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for Afghanistan, to coordinate aid and assistance efforts, and mandated to continue economic and political engagement with Afghanistan, and to submit periodic reports.
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