Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Afghanistan is currently experiencing one of the largest and most severe humanitarian crises in the world. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, the number of Afghans in need of humanitarian assistance has reached 24.4 million people. According to experts, against the backdrop of events in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan in 2022 received only US$329 million from donor countries, or 13.5% of the total required amount. The needs are further exacerbated by recent restrictions on women, including a ban on employment in non-governmental organizations.

As a result, due to the reduction of foreign financial assistance, as well as the denial of access to frozen state reserves, the Taliban government did not have enough funds to fulfill its social obligations to the population. As UN Secretary-General A. Guterres said in May 2023 at a press conference following the meeting on Afghanistan in Doha, 97% of Afghans live below the poverty line, 6 million people in the country are “one step away from starvation.” At the same time, the UN received only 6.4% of the US$4.6 billion requested for assistance to the Afghans this year.

According to the United Nations Development Program, this will plunge the country into a serious humanitarian crisis, 875 thousand children will suffer from acute malnutrition, and 2.3 million children, as well as 840 thousand women, from moderate malnutrition.

The situation is aggravated by natural and climatic disasters, causing significant damage to the country. As a result of earthquakes in 2022-2023.

More than 1,000 people died in the country, about 3,000 people were seriously injured, and 4,500 houses were destroyed.

Severe floods hit the provinces of Ghazni, Zabul, Paktia, Kabul, Parwan, Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan, destroying more than 600 houses and killing more than 1,500 head of livestock. Irreparable damage was caused to thousands of hectares of agricultural land.

In January 2023, Taliban officials reported at least 157 deaths due to a harsh winter in Afghanistan.

Under these conditions, Afghanistan is not capable of coping with the growing problems alone. Moreover, 75% of the state budget (US$11 billion) and 43% of the economy until recently were covered by international donations, while the state reserves of Afghanistan in the amount of more than US$9 billion are still frozen.

Given all these factors, today Afghanistan needs urgent help from the world community. This assistance is of vital importance also because these problems create a breeding ground for uncontrolled migration, the growth of organized crime, drug and arms trafficking, creates conditions for the strengthening of the activities of extremist and terrorist organizations, turning Afghanistan into a hotbed of constant instability not only for Central Asia, but also the rest of the world. According to Khabibulla Vohidzoda, head of the Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan, from August 2021 to August 2022, more than 3 tons of drugs were prevented from entering Tajikistan. In 2020, the volume of drug trafficking across the border with Afghanistan amounted to just over 1 ton.

Under these conditions, only the consolidated efforts of the international community will make it possible to find the keys to normalizing the situation in Afghanistan. The states of Central Asia are pursuing a coordinated, complementary policy towards Afghanistan, considering it as an integral part of the region, maintaining a constant dialogue on the issue of resolving the Afghan crisis and establishing long-term stability in this country.

The Afghan problem is always in the center of attention of the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, which in recent years has been transformed into an effective mechanism for multilateral cooperation.

In particular, following the results of the IV Summit of the Central Asian countries on 21 July 2022. in Kyrgyzstan, the parties reiterated their intention to closely coordinate efforts to ensure security and stability in Afghanistan, improve the humanitarian situation, restore the socio-economic infrastructure and fully involve this country in regional economic ties in order to achieve civil peace and harmony in the Afghan society.

As President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted, “continuation of close cooperation in promoting long-term peace in Afghanistan and its socio-economic reconstruction should remain the most important priority of the Central Asian states. We are the closest neighbors, more than anyone else should be interested in stability in this country. It is up to us to a large extent how the international community perceives this problem.”

In this regard, a single and integral region of Central Asia, advocating the involvement of Afghanistan in regional trade and economic relations, can positively influence Afghanistan, thanks to which this country will gradually change and strive for integration into the international community as a responsible subject of international relations. The cohesion of the region will significantly increase its resistance to challenges, it can become a "barrier" to external threats, interregional partnership will become an important factor in establishing peace and stability, reviving the economy in a neighboring country.

That is why it is important to continue to strengthen the interconnectedness of Central Asia by supporting regional projects aimed at cooperation in the field of transport, industrial cooperation, digitalization and other areas of regional convergence.

Establishing a lasting peace and ensuring stability in Afghanistan is an integral part of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy strategy. Our country firmly adheres to the need to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, stands for the settlement of the situation in Afghanistan exclusively by peaceful, political and diplomatic means, the formation of a neighboring country as a peaceful, independent, economically developing state.

With the election of Shavkat Mirziyoyev as head of state in 2016, Uzbekistan has significantly stepped up its efforts to resolve the Afghan issue. The high-level Tashkent International Conference on Afghanistan "Peace process, security cooperation and regional cooperation" held in 2018 at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan was a landmark event. The Tashkent Declaration adopted at the end of the conference for the first time consolidated a universal consensus on the need for a political settlement of the situation in Afghanistan, which gave a tangible impetus to the resumption of the peace process and the cessation of the armed conflict.

An important contribution to international efforts to promote peace in Afghanistan was the high-level international conference organized in Uzbekistan in July 2021 “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities”, which once again emphasized the paramount role of peace and stability in Afghanistan for the development of interregional ties.

On 25-26 July 2022, an international conference “Afghanistan: security and economic development” was held in Uzbekistan at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

For the first time, Tashkent gathered on one platform special representatives for Afghanistan of more than 20 states of Central and South Asia, Europe, America, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region, directly involved in the Afghan settlement, heads and specialists of a dozen international and regional organizations, including the UN, the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as the delegation of the Interim Government of Afghanistan.

Domestic experts, heads and specialists of leading analytical centers of Afghanistan’s neighboring states, including from all Central Asian countries, Russia, the USA, Iran, Pakistan, India and Belgium were also invited as participants. The conference created good opportunities for constructive discussion and development of coordinated approaches to building a pragmatic dialogue with the new Afghan authorities on topical issues. Including the fulfillment by the Interim Government of the key requirements of the international community to prevent the transformation of Afghan land into a source of permanent threats to the security interests of neighboring countries and other states, as well as the formation of a government based on broad representation, ensuring human rights and freedoms, especially women and all ethnic and religious groups.

In addition, issues of the socio-economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, the implementation of infrastructure and humanitarian projects designed to bring the long-awaited peace to the current and future generations of the Afghan people were considered.

In general, the conference was an integral part of Uzbekistan’s systemic efforts to ensure security and stability in Central Asia and turn Afghanistan into a peaceful, prosperous country free from terrorism and wars.

An important outcome of the forum was the implementation of the provisions of the Special Resolution of the UN General Assembly adopted on 11 July 2022 at the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan on strengthening the interconnectedness between Central and South Asia, which emphasizes the key importance of Afghanistan for international peace, security and sustainable development.

Uzbekistan has always had its own vision of the strategy for the post-conflict revival of Afghanistan - the restoration of the peaceful economy of Afghanistan as the basis for a long-term and lasting peace. Today, the country is experiencing a deep crisis due to the cessation of international support, the outflow and the lack of qualified personnel.

That is why Uzbekistan considers the provision of all-round assistance in the restoration of the Afghan economy, the creation of the necessary fundamental base for intensifying the process of peaceful resolution of the domestic crisis as a recipe for solving the socio-economic problems of Afghanistan.

Our country is making its contribution to support the national economy of Afghanistan. Uzbekistan continues to cover about 52% of the country’s electricity imports (2.7 billion kWh). Despite the difficult situation, the operation of the transport hub in Termez is ensured, through which about 50% of Afghan imports go. This is primarily food, medicines and oil products, which are so necessary for the life support of the Afghan state.

In addition, Uzbekistan regularly provides humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. In particular, in April 2023, 185 tons of food products were sent to Afghanistan. Of these, 48 tons of flour and wheat, 16 tons of vegetable oil, more than 10 tons of canned meat, 22 tons of pasta, 24 tons of sugar and 100 thousand portions of instant noodles.

Uzbekistan also contributes to the training of national personnel, which is so necessary for the reconstruction of the Afghan economy.

In particular, in 2018, the Educational Center for Afghan citizens was launched in the city of Termez and continues to operate today. This is the only institution in the world that trains Afghans in 17 areas of higher and 16 areas of secondary specialized, vocational education. Currently, 129 Afghans are being trained in the center, they, along with fellow citizens who have already graduated, will undoubtedly contribute to the reconstruction of their country.

Uzbekistan also performs an important mediating mission, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid sent by the international community to Afghanistan. Thus, in 2021, at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, under the auspices of the UN, an international logistics hub in Termez began to operate to receive and deliver aid to Afghanistan. This is the only terminal located near the border with Afghanistan. Its area is 40.7 hectares. The production capacity of the container site allows processing 69 units of 20-foot containers per day.

In 2022, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees sent more than 35,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, providing assistance to about 6 million people in all 34 provinces of the country in the form of basic necessities and material support.

Thus, the consistent efforts of Uzbekistan to establish a lasting peace in Afghanistan are aimed at transforming Afghanistan into a space that unites the countries of the region through infrastructure and economic interconnectedness projects, increasing the interest of the states surrounding Afghanistan in maintaining peace and stability in this country, restoring the lost historical role of Afghanistan as link between Central and South Asia.

Against this background, it is paramount to strengthen regional cooperation in Central Asia, which can help reduce real threats from Afghanistan. It is also necessary to conduct joint research on the nature of the challenges and threats emanating from Afghanistan for the countries of Central Asia. At the expert level, identify common potential and real risks and threats.

Right now, this country does not have the best image, but it is worth considering that Afghanistan can become a successful country. Like, for example, South Korea, which has practically no natural resources, which at one time lacked educated people. But Korea has succeeded. And Afghanistan has enormous natural and labor resources, an ideal geographical location in the heart of Central Asia. Eventually there will be transport routes through Afghanistan, and the Afghans know how to deal with trade issues.

Chief Researcher at the International

Institute of Central Asia Shukhrat Kabilov