Afghan people carry food supplies during a distribution of humanitarian aid for families in need, in Kabul, Afghanistan.The World Bank's management has approved a plan to use some US$1 billion in a frozen Afghanistan trust fund for education, agriculture, health and family programs, according to a bank paper and two sources, in what would be a major boost to efforts to ease the country's worsening humanitarian and economic crises.
The move would follow a successful disbursement of US$280 million from the same trust fund to the World Food Program and UN children's agency UNICEF to support nutrition and health in Afghanistan over the past few months. Afghan people waiting to receive food supplies, during a humanitarian aid campaign for the poor families, in Kabul, Afghanistan.The aim "is to protect the vulnerable, help preserve human capital and key economic and social institutions and reduce the need for future humanitarian assistance," according to the World Bank paper.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month called for the release of the remaining $1.