Who are we:
We are a new coalition of US and Afghan women called Unfreeze Afghanistan. We formed after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan to address the plight of the millions of Afghans who are facing extreme poverty and hunger in light of the country’s collapsing economy. We formed in response to an urgent appeal from the 45,000-member Teachers Association of Afghanistan on October 6, 2021, sounding the alarm that teachers have not been paid since June and are in dire circumstances. We have heard the same from other public sector workers who desperately need to be paid so they can perform their vital community services and feed their families.
We are not a political group and we don’t have a political message. Our efforts are not in any way aimed at defending, supporting or otherwise endorsing the Taliban government. Our concern is for the civilian population of Afghanistan. We hope they will be able to finally rebuild their lives without constant war and violence. Whatever diplomatic and political maneuvers are going on between various governments and the Taliban, we believe the civilians should not again suffer further violence either militarily or economically. .
Our goal
After the Taliban takeover, the U.S. froze nearly $10 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank and stopped shipments of cash to the country. The International Monetary Fund froze the distribution of more than $400 million destined for COVID relief and the World Bank is holding back hundreds of millions in the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund. Foreign aid to Afghanistan had previously been about $8.5 billion a year — nearly half of the country’s gross domestic product, and the freezing of these funds has been disastrous for the Afghan people. We believe these funds belong to the Afghan people although the funds are administered by whatever group is in power. We are advocating for their release to pay the salaries for Afghan teachers, health professionals and other employees who serve the public good, as well as for providing water and energy infrastructure, food transport and distribution, and for the purchase of food, medicine, and medical supplies for the nation’s economy and health system.
Options for distributing funds
We are pleased to learn that the UNDP will start to directly pay the salaries of many of the country’s healthcare workers. This will provide a good model that can be replicated by other UN agencies. Our research shows that payment mechanisms exist that are transparent and traceable, and that allow either for direct payment to the individuals entitled to receive them through the Afghan banking system, payment through NGOs (as already existed in the case of many healthcare facilities), or accountability for a more centralized payment system.
Our commitment to women
We are especially committed to advocating for the interests of Afghan women, as they are in special peril. Thus far, they have zero representation in the Taliban government despite being half the population, and being the most important voice for the well-being and needs of children. The Taliban’s earlier record concerning the role of women is particularly concerning, and while they have given amorphous assurances that things will be different this time, there are good reasons to view this with skepticism. There is not a single woman either at cabinet or deputy minister level; even during the Doha peace talks not a single Taliban woman was involved. While the elementary schools are open to girls, there are still secondary schools in parts of the country that are closed to girls. The statements about women’s rights in regard to education, employment, freedom of movement in public and family law always reference “as in accordance with Islam” – a benchmark open to such broad interpretation that it fails to be reassuring in any way, since the extreme oppression of women during their last tenure in power was also considered by the Taliban to be “in accordance with Islam.”
Advisory Board
We are a non-political group of regional experts, civil society activists and Afghan American professionals. Many of us have followed the country’s history over the past years and decades. Our purpose is to keep a focus on Afghanistan’s civilian population, especially that of its most vulnerable members, women and children.
Want to support?
Get in touch with us if you want to join the coalition, volunteer or donate in order to release frozen Afghan funds to pay teachers and other public sector workers