The World Bank recently made the decision to put four projects in Afghanistan worth $600 million dollars on hold over Taliban's decision to not allow girls in high schools until further notice.
The projects, under the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund, were going to be implemented by United Nations agencies in Afghanistan in the areas of education, agriculture, health, etc.
Since the World Bank's guidance requires all ARTF financed activities to support access and give equity to women and girls in Afghanistan, Taliban's ban on girls attending high schools has made it difficult for them to continue.
The decision by the World Bank has caused outrage among some circles, as they claim that these measures can be detrimental to the country.
Ashley Jacksom, the author of Negotiating Survival: Civilian-Insurgent Relations in Afghanistan, slammed the World Bank in a tweet over their decision to put the projects on hold. "This @WorldBank move is cruel and counterproductive - Afg women are dying bc they have no healthcare - Reneging on promised $ for teacher salaries, health is not going to change the Taliban's position - IEA weren't getting this $ so what do they lose?," said the tweet.
Frogh Wazma, a Peace & Conflict practitioner from Afghanistan, tweeted how this decision will have ramifications for Afghan families. "World bank @WorldBankSAsia @WorldBank suspends Projects that benefit the communities in Afghanistan as a measure to impact the Taliban but punishes Afghan people instead. None of these project cancellations will hurt the Taliban but the Afghan families," Frogh tweeted.
Taliban leaders had said all girls would be allowed to return to classrooms later this month but then made the decision to bar them from high schools, which was condemned by many countries.
