PESHAWAR: The United Nations (UN) has called an international conference to raise funds for Afghanistan is scheduled to take place in Geneva on Monday [today].
Ahead of the meeting, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator for Afghanistan Martin Griffiths reiterated that he believe Taliban leaders understand the international community’s emphasis on women’s rights in Afghanistan. The meeting comes at a time when the UN said that half of Afghanistan’s population is in need of assistance while the drought has left children under the age of five severely malnourished.
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Martin Griffiths said in an interview that he hopes to receive a written assurance from the Taliban’s deputy prime minister that charities organisation and their allies will be able to operate freely in Afghanistan and have full control over their affairs. The conference is expected to call on the international community to provide 600 million US dollars to avoid humanitarian crisis. Mr Griffiths said it was an opportunity to address the serious needs of Afghans but he said that the world does not trust the Taliban.
Mr Griffiths said displaced Afghans who want to return to their homes need money for transportation, rebuilding their homes, and that the costs must be borne if we want to prevent Afghan refugees from entering other neighboring countries. Griffiths added that he has raised two issues with the Taliban leaders in Kabul – the protection of rights of women and girls, meaning that women should have the right to work, study and move freely, among other basic rights. The second was that charities organisations must have full freedom to operate in Afghanistan.
He said Taliban leaders has promised to respect the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. According to Griffiths, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and other officials have assured that charities organisations will be able to operate independently and will be provided complete security. The UN emergency relief co-coordinator said that the assurances of Baradar will be presented to the international community in form of written document.