On the eve of the 48th meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, which was held in Islamabad on March 22-23, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank signed the Founding Charter of the Humanitarian Trust Fund for Afghanistan, established to collect donations to improve the living conditions of the Afghan people. The creation of the fund was one of the main outcomes of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC, held on December 19, 2021 in the capital of Pakistan.
As noted on the IDB website, since the majority of the population of Afghanistan lives in rural areas and is engaged in various activities such as agriculture, the Fund will be designed to improve food security, support small and medium-sized enterprises to create local employment opportunities, provide access to quality education , empowerment of women and youth, rural electrification.
The President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, said that the Bank has taken all necessary steps to complete the establishment and operation of the Fund, including the signing of its Articles of Association and the opening of a bank account to receive contributions.
The document signed in Islamabad provides for sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including in partnership with other international parties. The OIC and the IsDB called on member states, organizations, financial institutions, donors, philanthropists and the private sector to announce their contributions to the Humanitarian Fund for Afghanistan in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of this country.
Turkmenistan is a member of both international structures and is actively cooperating with them to improve the humanitarian situation in the neighboring country. In a letter addressed to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in January this year, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hussein Ibrahim Taha noted that he expects further assistance in the implementation of the programs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, designed to contribute to the constructive solution of its tasks.
The Secretary General of the OIC also highly appreciated the contribution of Turkmenistan to the work of the Organization and the promotion of joint efforts at a meeting with the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the OIC at the headquarters in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
Turkmenistan regularly sends humanitarian aid to neighboring Afghanistan in the form of cargoes for various purposes, in particular, textile products, food products, oil products, etc. In accordance with existing contracts, electricity supplies to the neighboring state continue in several directions, which makes it possible to provide electricity to almost all of its northern regions. provinces, western and northwestern regions of the country.
The large-scale projects of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) power lines and fiber optic communications promoted by Turkmenistan are of particular importance for the economic revival of Afghanistan and the improvement of the life of the Afghan population.
Ogulgozel Rejepova
