U.N. chief appeals for release of money to save Afghan lives

14/1/2022 7:10

        U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Thursday for a suspension of rules preventing the use of money in Afghanistan to save lives and the
        economy and for a path to the conditional release of frozen Afghan foreign currency reserves.
        
        "International funding should be allowed to pay the salaries of public-sector workers, and to help Afghan institutions deliver healthcare, education and other vital services," Guterres also told reporters in New York.
        
        Some $9.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves remain blocked outside the country, mainly in the United States, and international support given to the previous government has dried up since the Taliban seized power last August.
        
        "The function of Afghanistan's Central Bank must be preserved and assisted, and a path identified for conditional release of Afghan foreign currency reserves," Guterres said.