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WFP to increase flow of aid to Afghanistan via Uzbekistan
Construction of new warehouse facilities has started at the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Logistics Hub in Termez, Uzbekistan, and once completed the facility will allow for an increase and improved flow of humanitarian food to Afghanistan, WFP said on Tuesday.
“We are happy that the United Nations is expanding their warehouse capacity here in Termez,” Uzbekistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan Ismatullah Irgashev said. “At a time when two thirds of the population of Afghanistan rely on humanitarian assistance to survive, it is our duty as the international community to stand by their side.”
WFP’s existing Logistics Hub in Termez has served as a trans-shipment point for WFP’s Afghanistan operations since 2021. WFP plans to add an additional 8,000 square meters to the current 14,500 square meter warehouse capacity in the upcoming months. This will increase WFP’s total storage capacity in Termez by more than half, the agency said in a statement.
“With the support of the Government of Uzbekistan, more than 1,000 metric tons of food are crossing the border from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan each day,” said Hsiao-Wei Lee, Country Director for WFP Afghanistan.
“In the upcoming months, this increase to our warehouse capacity will greatly facilitate our ability to serve the 20 million Afghans currently in need of food assistance. While our partners and donors have been incredibly generous with their contributions, we still need an additional $1.5 billion to reach all the people we have planned to serve.”
In Afghanistan in 2022, WFP reached 23 million people, distributed 1.1 million metric ton of food and $325 million in cash transfers. Of the 23 million people assisted, 11.6 million were women and 12.3 million were children. WFP said it injects an average of $55 million per month into the local economy.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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SAARC failure pushes Pakistan toward trilateral ties with Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh: Dar
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that the failure of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is pushing Pakistan toward exploring trilateral cooperation frameworks involving Afghanistan, China, and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) Conference in Lahore on Friday, Dar said SAARC has “unfortunately not been able to kick off,” limiting regional economic integration and cooperation.
He said Pakistan is now looking at alternative regional arrangements to strengthen economic connectivity and trade, including trilateral formats such as China–Pakistan–Afghanistan and China–Pakistan–Bangladesh.
Dar stressed that South Asia cannot remain in “isolation,” noting that the region, home to nearly two billion people, is missing significant economic opportunities due to weak cooperation among neighbouring countries.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to promote economic and regional integration among South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The organisation was designed to encourage cooperation in areas such as trade, development, education, and cultural exchange. However, in recent years, SAARC’s effectiveness has been significantly limited due to political tensions between member states, particularly between India and Pakistan, leading to stalled summits and reduced regional engagement.
As a result, regional economic cooperation in South Asia has largely remained underdeveloped compared to other regional blocs around the world.
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