$30M to Empower Afghan Women :US

Afghan Voice Agency(AVA)_Monitoring, The announcement, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), came days after at least 71 economists and experts – including Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz – urged Washington to release Afghanistan’s central bank assets.

“Enabling Essential Services for Afghan Women and Girls” activity will increase Afghan women and girls’ access to social protection services; provide resources and support for women-led civil society organizations working to advance women’s rights in Afghanistan; and increase women’s economic empowerment through skills and business development training and entrepreneurship support.

United States Government reaffirmed its commitment to stand with Afghan women and girls, saying the USAID funding will provide direct support for Afghan women’s civil society organizations, which have been the backbone of Afghanistan’s decades-long movement for women’s rights.

Meanwhile, a sum of $80 million is considered to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and another $40 million of aid is allocated to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

“Today the United States… announced an $80 million commitment to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to improve food security and nutrition for Afghans experiencing severe food insecurity, including women, women-headed households, and smallholder farmers and herders,” the USAID’s statement reads.

Earlier the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) said the recent floods have severely affected the farmers and gardeners in Afghanistan, seeking support from the international community to tackle the ongoing crisis.

“As much as aid is provided, it is effective for the Afghan agriculture sector,” said Musbahuddin Mustayeen, a spokesman for the MAIL. “The agriculture lands and canals have been affected, and the livestock have been lost.”