Wrapping up a five-day visit to Afghanistan, the EU’s special envoy Tomas Niklasson said on Monday more humanitarian assistance is needed to get Afghans through the harsh winter ahead.

In a statement issued Monday night, Niklasson said: “Despite generous donations by taxpayers and governments, including 300M euros by the European Union, the UN humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan remains grossly underfunded.”

He called on other countries, “including China, Russia and the OIC, to step up their support significantly.”

He also said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) “throughout the country must refrain from attempts to interfere in or control the delivery of humanitarian assistance while instead ensuring humanitarian access and full respect for International Humanitarian Law.”

Niklasson said: “There is a need to stabilize the economy and provide opportunities for Afghan men and women to employment.”

He noted that UN sanctions against individual members of the IEA were playing a role and that “despite efforts by the UNSC and by the United States to give assurances to international banks and companies to allow for legal financial transactions with Afghanistan there is a tendency among international financial institutions to over-comply with the sanctions, which makes it difficult to transfer money into or out of Afghanistan.”

In addition, foreign currency reserves of the Afghan Central Bank remain frozen abroad, he said adding that the EU was however contributing to solutions by providing assistance.

He said more than 300 million euros has been provided to address basic needs in education and health and to provide livelihoods. Since August last year, the EU has provided more than 600 million euros to the people of Afghanistan, he said.

However he urged the IEA to focus on the economic crisis and to create an enabling environment for greater investment.

“In the short term they could look favorably on proposals made by the UN to facilitate the access of Afghan companies to foreign currency through a humanitarian exchange facility.

“They could take concrete steps to reassure Afghans and the international community about the independence of the Afghan Central Bank and its capacity to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

“They could provide legal clarity and a functioning court system. They could promote job opportunities for women rather than restricting their ability to work,” he said.

He said the IEA should ensure schools open throughout the country for boys and girls, young women and men adding that if “if secondary schools remain closed for girls, and with limited enrolment for boys, there will soon not be any students who can enroll for higher education. And a few years later there will not be the engineers, accountants, architects, teachers, midwives, nurses and doctors to build and sustain a future Afghanistan.”

Niklasson said the EU remains committed to keeping Afghanistan on the international agenda but while Afghanistan may be the Heart of Asia, it will not always be the central focus of the world.