Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 27 December 2023-The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), acting as trustee of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF), signed three agreements with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for three projects aiming at improving access to education, health services and livelihood opportunities in Afghanistan.

Under the auspices of His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the agreements were signed by Eng. Mohammad J. Alsaati, Special Adviser to the IsDB President and AHTF Coordinator and Dr. Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor to the United High Commissioner for Refugees and UNHCR Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries 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 first agreement for the project will improve access to education through Smart Hubs for enhanced education in Afghanistan, with a total cost of USD 7,520,404 is jointly funded through an AHTF grant of USD 5,878,800 as a contribution of Saudi Fund for Development to AHTF and a funding of USD 1,641,604 from UNHCR.

This project, which aims to construct and operationalize essential education facilities, including SMART hubs, and enhance the access to quality education to children from vulnerable communities living in Priority Area of Return and Reintegration (PARRs) will be operated in 16 Districts in 13 different Provinces of Afghanistan, with an implementation period of 18 months.

The second project focuses on improving access to health services for vulnerable communities, with a total cost of USD 5,435,317, is financed by an AHTF grant of USD 3,210,681 from the contribution of Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to AHTF, while UNHCR will contribute USD 2,224,636. The project will be implemented in 18 months in 8 Districts in 6 Provinces of Afghanistan.

Under this project, health facilities will be constructed and operationalized in targeted Priority Area of Return and Reintegration (PARRs) to provide essential healthcare services to the vulnerable groups of population, especially IDPs, and returnees.

The third project targets supporting livelihoods opportunities and promoting women empowerment through integrated livelihood approach with a total cost of USD 1,370,487 with and AHTF grant of USD 910,519 from the contribution of Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to AHTF and UNHCR contribution of USD 459,968 with an implementation period of 18 months, covering Herat, Kabul, and Lagman Provinces.

While delivering his remarks, Eng. Mohammad J. Alsaati stated that” signing of these three Agreements totaling USD 10 million from AHTF among the second group of AHTF grant operations is another major milestone of AHTF journey towards its goal to help and support the vulnerable in Afghanistan through the formulation and approval of high-impact projects. These agreements with UNHCR reflect our commitment to assisting the crisis affected Afghan population “.

Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNHCR Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) expressed his gratitude for the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and praised the partnership with IsDB/AHTF, pointing out that “The decades-long conflict in Afghanistan has had a devastating impact on all aspects of people’s lives. More than 28.3 million people (two thirds of Afghanistan’s population) are in urgent need of assistance”. He added: “With this generous contribution from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Fund for Development - through Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF)-, UNHCR will be able to provide critical services in the extremely vital sectors of health, education and livelihoods. We are grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to AHTF for this much-needed support”.

These three projects are set to benefit over 240,000 individuals in total, mark a significant milestone in the partnership between IsDB, as a trustee of AHTF and UNHCR, showcasing a strong commitment to improving access to education, health services and livelihood opportunities in Afghanistan.

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.