Act NOW to Stop Starvation in Afghanistan

After decades of conflict in Afghanistan, the Afghan people are suffering. Hunger could kill more people now than in 20 years of war. What is truly tragic is that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is a “human-made catastrophe.”  When the United States military pulled out of Afghanistan, the Biden administration cut off any flow of funds to the economy by freezing the reserves of the Afghan Central Bank held in the U.S. The administration also cut off aid and imposed sanctions on those doing business with Afghanistan. As a result, jobs and income disappeared, and people could not afford food. Mass starvation is now occurring. Act NOW to Stop Starvation in Afghanistan Members of both parties have sent letters to the Biden administration asking that these policies change to stop this humanitarian disaster. A December 20 letter to President Biden signed by 48 members of Congress states: “As you transition into a new phase of our relationship with the country and people of Afghanistan, we stand with American allies and humanitarian experts in urging the United States to avoid harsh economic measures that will directly harm Afghan families and children. This means conscientiously but urgently modifying current U.S. policy.” On January 13, the United Nations chief warned that millions of Afghans are on the “verge of death.”  He urged the international community to fund the U.N.’s $5 billion humanitarian appeal and release Afghanistan’s frozen assets to avert economic and social collapse. On February 11th, the administration announced the decision to unfreeze some Afghan reserves by executive order with half going for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and half to victims of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.   But, more funds will be necessary to save lives and stabilize Afghanistan. Act NOW to Stop Starvation in Afghanistan Please call on Congress to act and help the people of Afghanistan today! Ask your members of Congress to do the following: Release the rest of Afghanistan Central Bank reserves to inject liquidity into the collapsing Afghan economy.  Loosen U.S. sanctions to mitigate the chilling effect of restrictions on foreign banks and businesses while offering Afghan banks access to their overseas holdings and the global financial system. Pledge additional emergency funding toward the United Nations’ 2022 humanitarian aid appeal, and dedicate the necessary diplomatic capital to encourage Western partners to contribute their fair share. Increase refugee assistance to Afghan refugees, including increased resettlement here in the U.S.