U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan to Visit UAE, India and Japan

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West will travel to the United Arab Emirates, India and Japan next week for talks with the Central Asian country humanitarian and economic crises.

West will meet with world leaders on “protecting Afghan rights and common security concerns,” the State Department said Wednesday.

The department did not provide details of the officials Mr. West will meet during his travels.

The trip was announced on the heels of a explosion in northern Afghanistan which killed at least 15 people, with officials reporting that all of the victims were “children and ordinary people”.

Such attacks have become commonplace in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power following the hasty withdrawal of the United States from the country last year. The attacks have been compounded by soaring poverty in a context economic crisis.

Preliminary statistics from the World Bank show that Afghanistan’s gross domestic product contracted by 20.7% in 2021.

Taliban fighters and supporters celebrate in Ahmad Shah Massoud Square in Kabul on August 31, 2022. AFP

The cessation of aid following the Taliban takeover “resulted in a dramatic decline in government spending and aggregate demand, lower household incomes and reduced consumption”, the World Bank said. .

About 24 million Afghans are in dire need of humanitarian assistance and food insecurity is seen as a harsh winter approachessaid a senior Red Cross official The National Wednesday.

Last week, RussiaThe presidential envoy to Afghanistan announced that Moscow would host a regional summit on the crisis.

“It is important that the world does not forget the situation in Afghanistan because today it is not getting the attention it deserves,” said JP Singh, India’s Joint Secretary for Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran Division. of the Department of External Affairs. Moscow talks.

Washington officials said the US special representative would also engage with the Afghan diaspora, including human rights, business, political and media leaders, on how to address the challenges.

The United States is among the countries grappling with how best to address the status of Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover.

Afghanistan’s already high number of child laborers is rising, fueled by the collapse of the economy after the Taliban took over the country and the world cut off financial aid a while ago more than a year. All photos: AP Photo

More than 78,000 Afghans came to the United States under “Operation Allies Welcome” through a special process called “humanitarian parole.”

This allowed fugitive Afghans to be admitted quickly to the United States, allowing them to stay for up to two years – although it did not guarantee a path to permanent residency or legal citizenship.

Congressional leaders introduced the Afghan Adjustment Act in an effort to lift these Afghans out of legal limbo and provide some with a means to obtain longer-term status.

The bill has racked up major endorsements both on and off Capitol Hill.

The US Chamber of Commerce, Airbnb, DoorDash and several other prominent US employers have urged Congress to pass the bipartisan bill ahead of congressional budget talks in December, but movement for the legislation stalled after the election mid-term.

Updated: November 30, 2022, 10:25 p.m.