Since August 2021, the World Bank has committed more than $1.7bn to support the Afghan people, prioritizing service delivery for women and girls. All funds are directed outside the control of the Interim Taliban Administration (ITA), ensuring a continued focus on critical services without ITA involvement.
In December 2021, the World Bank transferred $280mn from the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF) to UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP) to address emergency health and nutrition needs during the harsh winter months. Since early 2022, the World Bank and ARTF donors have provided essential services such as healthcare, education, food security, livelihoods, and water access across Afghanistan.
In February 2024, the World Bank’s Board of Directors approved the allocation of International Development Association (IDA) funds to complement ARTF financing, further ensuring that Afghan people continue to receive critical services. These grants are directly managed by UN agencies and other international organizations, bypassing ITA control. The Board also endorsed the resumption of the Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000) in Afghanistan, ensuring that all construction payments and revenues are managed externally.
The World Bank has launched multiple projects designed to empower Afghan communities:
- Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project (2022): Aims to provide livelihood opportunities to one million households across 6,450 rural communities and major cities. This project benefits 9.3mn Afghans by providing access to clean water, rehabilitated roads, and other services.
- Afghanistan Health Emergency Response Project (2022): Supports continued access to health services for women and children, aiming to fully immunize 2mn children and facilitate safe births for 1.2mn women.
- Afghanistan Emergency Food Security Project (2022): Increases food crop production for smallholder farmers and addresses food insecurity, with a focus on vulnerable groups, including children and women-headed households.
- NGO/CSO Capacity Support Project (2022): Enhances the capacity of local NGOs and civil society organizations to improve service delivery across Afghanistan.
- Education Emergency Response in Afghanistan (EERA) Project (2022): Expands access to education for boys and girls, including adolescent girls, and improves learning conditions with investments in water and sanitation facilities in schools.
- Afghanistan Water Emergency Relief Project (2023): Improves access to safe drinking water for 1.2mn people in drought-affected provinces.
- Empowering Microfinance and Enterprises for Resilience and Growth (EMERGe) Project (2024): Helps revive microfinance providers to support micro and small enterprises, with a focus on women-led businesses.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, plays a critical role in Afghanistan’s economic development. IFC supports Afghan businesses through equity investments and advisory services:
- Afghanistan International Bank (2015): Strengthens commercial lending and financial inclusion through a 7.5% equity investment.
- First Microfinance Bank Limited (2002): Develops microfinance services to underserved populations, including women.
- Ghazanfar Bank Women Markets Advisory (2020–2023): Increases access to finance for women entrepreneurs and promotes Islamic financing.
The World Bank Group’s Afghanistan Futures program conducts research and analysis on the Afghan economy, informing global policy discussions. The program produces reports such as the Monthly Economic Monitor, Afghanistan Development Update, and surveys on gender, private sector growth, and resilience. The program also studies agricultural, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors to identify investment opportunities and development challenges.
By maintaining its focus on women and vulnerable communities, the World Bank ensures that Afghan people continue to receive vital services during a challenging period, while also fostering private sector growth and development opportunities.
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