20 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) yesterday pledged to coordinate with the United Nations as part of efforts to free hundreds of millions of US dollars in frozen Afghan assets, to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the country.
The 57-member OIC delegates said, during an emergency meeting held in Pakistan, they would work "to unlock the financial and banking channels to resume liquidity and flow of financial and humanitarian assistance."
The Islamic Development Bank will lead the effort to free up assistance by the first quarter of next year.
The meeting was the biggest conference on Afghanistan since the US-backed government fell in August and the Taliban returned to power.
Since then, billions of dollars in aid and assets have been frozen by the international community, while the nation is in the middle of a bitter winter.
On Sunday, Pakistan warned of "serious repercussions" for the international community if Afghanistan's economic collapse continued and urged world leaders to find ways to engage with Taliban leaders to help prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
