World Bank and ARTF approve three emergency projects totaling $793 million
The Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) Management Committee and the World Bank this week approved three projects totaling $793 million that will provide urgent and essential food, livelihood, and health services to the people of Afghanistan.
According to a statement issued by the World Bank, all three projects will be implemented off-budget out of the interim government’s control, through United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations. The activities are coordinated with other multilateral and bilateral funding pledges for Afghanistan, the statement read.
“These projects are designed to help women and girls benefit from project activities. Entry criteria, including the principles of equitable access for women, must be met and funds will be released in two tranches to provide the opportunity for ARTF donors to review progress on the ground and assess whether announced policies of the interim administration continue to allow the participation of women.
“All three projects also have internal fiduciary control and independent monitoring arrangements to ensure that funds are utilized for their intended purposes,” the statement noted.
The Afghanistan Emergency Food Security Project will help in the production of food crops for smallholder Afghan farmers and prevent the further deterioration of food security.
A total amount of $195 million will be released in two tranches: $150 million and $45 million, the World Bank said.
The second project, the Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project will help provide short-term livelihood opportunities and deliver urgent essential services in rural and urban areas.
According to the World Bank, the project aims to provide livelihood and income opportunities for one million households in 6,450 rural communities across Afghanistan and the cities of Bamiyan, Herat, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Kunduz, and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Women and vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities and internally displaced people, will receive special assistance, the World Bank’s statement read.
A total amount of $265 million will be released in two tranches: $100 million and $165 million.
The third project, the Afghanistan Health Emergency Response Project will increase the utilization and quality of essential health services in Afghanistan.
This project aims to deliver basic health, nutrition, and COVID-19 services in partnership with national and international service providers, in more than 2,300 health facilities nationwide.
Among the other expected results, the project will help two million children to be fully immunized and more than 1.2 million women will give birth at the health facilities.
A total amount of $333 million will be released in two tranches.