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UN chief urges action to prevent economic collapse in Afghanistan
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called on the international community to urgently inject some cash into Afghanistan, saying it would be disastrous if the country’s economy collapsed.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Guterres said currently “millions and millions of people (are) on the verge of dying because of hunger”.
Should the economy collapse, “it would be a total disaster; it would be lots of people dying and I believe a massive outflow into the neighboring countries with horrible consequences for the stability of those countries, so I think it’s very important to avoid that collapse.
“I’ve been saying that humanitarian aid is essential but at the same time it’s necessary, and of course there are ways to do so even in respect for international law, it’s essential to inject some cash to allow the Afghan economy to breathe and to avoid the kind of collapse that would have devastating consequences,” he said.
Guterres’ statement comes amid a cash flow crisis in Afghanistan. Essentially a dollarized nation under the former government, weekly shipments of US dollars stopped the day the Islamic Emirate took over Kabul – on August 15.
Since then, severe weekly limits have been imposed by banks on cash withdrawals for individuals, foreign reserves have been frozen, and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank also stopped loans.
Guterres said: “It’s our duty to do everything possible to support the Afghan people and to help create the conditions for those concerns that everybody has about terrorism, about human rights, about inclusivity, to materialize.”
He also stated that the “situation is unpredictable” but added the UN is working with the Islamic Emirate to allow for humanitarian aid to be distributed to the people.
He said that is would be a “disaster if terrorist organizations could operate again from Afghanistan.”
Guterres also noted that it was important for the Islamic Emirate to “understand the importance of an inclusive government that takes into account the diversity of the different groups [in the country]” and to respect basic human rights.
Asked about what he thought went wrong in Afghanistan, Guterres said the first problem was the “idea that the Afghan people can be ruled from outside.”
He said the British and the former Soviet Union had both tried to do this in the past, but both had failed.
The Afghan people are “very proud and they have lots of problems among themselves but they have even more problems with the idea that they can be dominated from the outside”, he said.
He also said he felt there had been too much “military action and not enough support to building institutions.”
According to him, the former Afghan leaders were divided – singling out the two past elections that had both been contested.
He said the election system adopted for Afghanistan “that was a unitary system was not the most adequate for a country that is so decentralized”.
“The truth is that there was a huge dysfunctionality in the government and we have seen it in relations of the president; and the international community looked at it without any capacity to really allow things to improve and so all these fragilities accumulated and in the end what we had, and we had it in a very chaotic way that nobody was forecasting.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen; as I said the situation is unpredictable but i think that there is at least a part of the leadership of the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) that would like to have Afghanistan as a country recognized by the international community and would be ready to pay a price for that,” he said.
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Afghan officials join ICESCO meeting, discuss preservation of Islamic manuscripts
Participants underscored the importance of safeguarding these documents, noting that the focus on Mali reflects the manuscripts’ unique cultural and historical value.
Officials from the Ministry of Information and Culture participated in an online scientific meeting organised by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), focused on the preservation of Islamic manuscripts.
Obaidullah Hanif, Director of the National Archive, and Mohammad Shafiq Ahmadzai, Head of Foreign Relations and Cultural Attachés at the ministry, joined the session held by ICESCO’s Centre for Calligraphy and Manuscripts under the theme “Islamic Manuscripts in the World.”
The meeting examined the condition of Islamic manuscripts in Mali and discussed strategies for their preservation and protection as part of global cultural heritage.
ICESCO representatives highlighted that Mali’s extensive collection of hundreds of thousands of historical manuscripts represents one of the most significant repositories of Islamic civilisation and intellectual history in West Africa.
Participants underscored the importance of safeguarding these documents, noting that the focus on Mali reflects the manuscripts’ unique cultural and historical value.
ICESCO is an intergovernmental organization specializing in the fields of education, science and culture.
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Afghanistan announces over 1,000 education ministry vacancies, prioritises returnees
Officials said the hiring will be conducted transparently, with candidates selected strictly on merit, qualifications, and professional competence.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education has announced 1,060 vacant administrative posts across district education departments and regional education zones, to be filled through an open competitive recruitment process.
Officials said the hiring will be conducted transparently, with candidates selected strictly on merit, qualifications, and professional competence. They stressed that ethnic or regional considerations will not play any role in the selection process.
In a related development, Mohammad Zahid Ahmadzai, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, said returning refugees will be given priority in employment opportunities. He added that the ministry is working with multiple institutions to broaden job creation across the country.
Education ministry officials noted that the newly advertised posts form part of a revised organisational structure designed to strengthen administrative capacity across 473 districts nationwide.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) bowling coach Shane Bond says his side’s bowlers must start “doing something different” after another disappointing defeat in IPL 2026 left the team slipping down the points table.
RR suffered a heavy loss to Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday after conceding more than 200 runs for the fourth straight match. The defeat pushed them down to fifth place with only three league games remaining.
The problems started early when fast bowler Jofra Archer struggled badly in the opening over, needing 11 balls to complete it after bowling a no-ball and several wides. The over cost RR 18 runs and set the tone for another difficult evening.
Former New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan said Archer appeared rusty after the team’s eight-day break and suggested Jaipur’s pitches are not helping RR’s pace attack.
Bond admitted RR’s bowling has not adapted well enough to the aggressive batting seen throughout this year’s IPL.
“You’ve got to be doing something different,” Bond said after the match. “Batsmen are developing new shots and putting bowlers under pressure, so bowlers also need to develop new skills and new plans.”
He added that bowlers must improve both their decision-making and execution, while using analysts more effectively to study opposition batting patterns.
Despite their recent slump, RR remain in contention for the playoffs, although their form has become a growing concern after a strong start to the season.
Meanwhile, IPL action continues on Sunday with Chennai Super Kings taking on Lucknow Super Giants in the afternoon match, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Mumbai Indians in a high-profile evening clash.
Chennai Super Kings will look to revive their inconsistent campaign against a Lucknow side still fighting for a playoff place, while Bengaluru and Mumbai meet in what could prove crucial in the race for the top four.
Both matches will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television Network.
Tahawol: Afghanistan and Uzbekistan’s growing economic ties discussed
Saar: Afghanistan’s relations with the world discussed
Afghan officials join ICESCO meeting, discuss preservation of Islamic manuscripts
Afghanistan announces over 1,000 education ministry vacancies, prioritises returnees
Afghanistan, Uzbekistan sign 13 trade MoUs worth over $100 million
Bayat Power extends gas supply deal with Afghan Gas
Afghanistan’s new cricket head coach Richard Pybus arrives in Kabul
Afghanistan moves toward self-sufficiency in car battery production
New Afghanistan-China transport corridor launched via Turkmenistan
Germany to launch online visa system for Afghan study and work applicants in Pakistan
Tahawol: Afghanistan and Uzbekistan’s growing economic ties discussed
Saar: Afghanistan’s relations with the world discussed
Tahawol: Discussion on unknown fate of Middle East crisis
Saar: Problems and challenges of Afghan refugees in the world discussed
Tawsia: Discussion on Afghanistan’s economic path and position
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