Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, December 27, 2023 - The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), acting as trustee of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF), signed, today, an agreement with the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) for a project aimed at improving Food Security and Sustaining Rural Livelihood in Afghanistan.

Under the auspices of His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the agreement was signed by Eng. Mohammad J. Alsaati, Special Adviser to the IsDB President and AHTF Coordinator and Mr. Terje Magnussønn Watterdal, Country Director of the NAC and witnessed by senior officials from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), with the presence of officials from other relevant organization and stakeholders.

The project, which will be implemented in Badakhshan, Faryab, and Ghazni Provinces, will support the construction of agriculture infrastructure to allow vulnerable households in rural communities to have improved food security, sustainable livelihoods, and resilience.

This landmark project has a total cost of USD 1,139,334 and will be funded through an AHTF grant of USD 938,065 from the contribution of Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to AHTF and a contribution of USD 201,269 from NAC.

In his remarks, Eng. Mohammad J. Alsaati, stated that “this project will create Livelihoods opportunities and promote food security, sustainable livelihoods, and resilience by providing agro-based infrastructure for the vulnerable Afghani communities, especially IDPs and returnees. It will contribute to promoting their self-reliance.”

Mr. Terje Magnussønn Watterdal, Country Director of the NAC, on his side highlighted “the importance of community-driven approaches to climate smart agriculture, sustainable natural resource management, and agro-based infrastructure development to ensure that Afghan communities are enabled to become self-sufficient and less dependent on development and humanitarian aid in the years to come.”  

The project addresses the needs of 6,250 households, including female smallholder farmers and their households, in rural and hard-to-reach areas will have improved food security by introducing agriculture best practices and implementing agriculture infrastructure projects, while 59,250 smallholder farming household members will benefit from the improved livelihoods of the farmers, and 45 villages will see the establishment of the agriculture small-scale infrastructure projects.

The AHTF serves as a vehicle to channel humanitarian assistance, address basic needs, and promote self-reliance and development in the country, following the decision of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC at its 17th Extraordinary Session held on 19 December 2021 in Islamabad, Pakistan.