Ovunc Kutlu
22 December 2021•Update: 22 December 2021
ANKARA
The US Treasury and State departments issued three general licenses Wednesday to facilitate the continued flow of vital assistance and support for the Afghan people.
"These licenses expand upon existing authorizations for the provision of humanitarian assistance and other activities that support basic human needs and enable broader support for the Afghan people consistent with Resolution 2615 (2021) adopted by the UN Security Council earlier today," the State Department said in a statement.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said the US is the largest single provider of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
"Unfortunately, the economy faces grave challenges, exacerbated by the country’s long dependence on foreign aid, donor and private sector flight sparked by the Taliban’s takeover, drought, structural macroeconomic issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic," said Adeyemo. "Treasury has provided broad authorizations that ensure NGOs, international organizations, and the U.S. government can continue to provide relief to those in need."
The licenses authorize all transactions and activities involving the Taliban or the Haqqani Network that are for the conduct of the official business of the US government, certain international organizations and other international entities, by employees, grantees or contractors.
They also include activities related to humanitarian projects to meet basic human needs, citizen participation, government accountability and transparency, human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to information, and civil society development projects; education; non-commercial development projects directly benefitting the Afghan people; and environmental and natural resource protection.
The UN resolution drafted by the US and unanimously adopted earlier Wednesday by the 15 members of the UN Security Council, establishes a carveout in the UN 1988 sanctions regime to ensure urgently needed aid can reach the Afghan people.
