UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have signed three agreements aimed at bolstering access to education, health-care services, and livelihood opportunities in Afghanistan.

The agreements were signed at the headquarters of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by the Special Advisor to the President of the Islamic Development Bank and Coordinator of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund, Muhammad Jamal Al-Saati, and UNHCR’s Senior Advisor and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Representative, Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR said in a statement.

Through these agreements, UNHCR will implement several projects to support education programmes, such as building 16 integrated schools for boys and girls, and creating information and inquiry points to enhance and ensure access to education for more than 30,000 school-age children. In addition, it will improve and expand the health-care service network in more than 34 regions by establishing eight health-care centres, benefiting more than half a million people from returnee, displaced and host communities. The agreements will also allow for the implementation of programmes to enhance vocational skills and facilitate livelihood opportunities through traditional crafts, such as beekeeping and wool spinning, according to the statement.

 “The decades-long conflict in Afghanistan has had a devastating impact on all aspects of people’s lives, leaving more than two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population in urgent need of assistance,” Khaled Khalifa said. “With this generous contribution from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Fund for Development – through AHTF – UNHCR will be able to provide critical services in several vital sectors, including health, education, and livelihoods. We are grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and AHTF for this much-needed support.” 

Approximately 28.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, according to UN.