KABUL (SW) – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently stated in a report that government interventions in Afghanistan have increased in the humanitarian assistance processes of the organization.
The report mentions that 164 cases of intervention in assistance processes were recorded in November this year, leading to the suspension of 72 of the organization’s projects, while two projects were completely halted.
According to OCHA, requests for lists of employees and sensitive information, interference in recruitment processes, and some restrictions on female staff activities have been among the instances of government intervention in the organization’s work.
The Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Emirate, however, rejects OCHA’s claim.
Abdul Rahman Habib, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy, says that the Islamic Emirate supports the transparent operation of all humanitarian organizations.
Habib adds: “From the beginning until now, all United Nations aid has been delivered directly by domestic and foreign NGOs, without the intervention of the Islamic Emirate. To reduce poverty and promote economic growth, we are working to create the necessary facilities and support the transparent operation of their activities. Along with monitoring, we support the implementation of their projects.”
According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Economy, nearly 676 domestic institutions and 175 foreign institutions are currently operating in coordination with the Ministry in various sectors across Afghanistan.
However, economic experts say that if government bodies continue to intervene in humanitarian aid processes, poverty in Afghanistan will spread, and the budgets of countries allocated to humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan will also decrease.
Qotbuddin Yaqubi, an economic expert, says: “This could have detrimental effects on aid for the needy; it would cause a lack of coordination between international organizations and local authorities, and the aid would not reach those in need properly, leading to reluctance from organizations working in the humanitarian sector.”
Silab Samandar, another economic expert, adds: “These interventions by officials could result in a reduction of the budget for these international organizations, and even countries might be unwilling to provide funds. This will further burden the people with economic problems, and this challenge must be prevented.”
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has also added that increased interventions in aid processes will lead to a reduction in assistance and an increase in needs in Afghanistan. According to OCHA statistics, more than 23 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance this year.
