The World Bank announced on Tuesday that it had suspended funding for its projects in Afghanistan, citing concerns about the impact of the Taliban government on development prospects, especially on women.
"We are closely monitoring and evaluating the situation in accordance with internal policies and procedures," a World Bank spokesman said in an emailed statement. In this process, we will continue to consult closely with the international community and development partners. We are exploring with our partners how to maintain participation to preserve hard-won development gains and to continue to support the Afghan people. "
Since April 2002, the World Bank has committed more than $5.3 billion to development projects in Afghanistan. As of February this year, the Bank had 12 active projects in Afghanistan, belonging to the International Development Association (International Development Association,IDA) for the world's poorest countries, with a commitment of US $940 million.
The Bank has also worked with the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, funded by donor countries it manages, on 15 projects, committing nearly $1.2 billion in IDA funding. The World Bank said in April that the fund had raised nearly $12.9 billion from 34 donor countries, making it the largest contributor to the Afghan budget.
The suspension of funding by the World Bank is the latest setback for the new Afghan regime, which is desperate for cash after the US froze more than $9 billion of assets from the Afghan central bank.