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A Taliban delegation is expected to meet with Red Cross members, European and Swiss officials in Geneva to discuss aid as the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan worsens.
The conference marks the second time that representatives of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan are taking part in humanitarian negotiations, of which a European country is a part.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry has insisted that the presence of this delegation in Switzerland does not imply recognition of the Taliban-led government.
This government last month sent a 15-member delegation to Olso for similar negotiations with Western diplomats.
International aid has almost completely stopped, despite the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power in August last year.
Conference officials have said that during the meetings the aim is to guarantee humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
“This country is facing a complex emergency due to armed conflicts, Covid 19, socio-economic consequences, and extreme weather,” said the NGO.
“Today, 23 million Afghans are at risk of malnutrition and 97 percent of the population lives in poverty.”
The Geneva call said the conference would mediate discussions on compliance with “humanitarian norms”, although no mention was made of the treatment of women and girls under the leadership of the taeiban group.
The group has invited the Taliban to a conference “to discuss the status of humanitarian aid, the protection of civilians, health care, landmines and other post-war explosive devices.”
Representatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, those of the Department for Peace and Human Rights within the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials of the Department for Asia and Pacific in the same Ministry, are expected to meet with the delegation at the conference, reported AFP news agency.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has also said it will hold talks with the delegation.
At a meeting on January 26, the international community linked humanitarian aid to human rights abuses by the Taliban, mainly girls, women and ethnic minorities.
No country has recognized the Taliban-led government, largely because of a lack of attention to these issues.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister and the head of the delegation that was in Olso, told the AFP news agency last week that the group appeared to be moving towards international recognition.
“We are approaching that goal,” he said, urging Washington to unlock $ 9.5 billion in assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan to ease the crisis.
Afghanistan has been heavily dependent on international funding for the past 20 years, as three-quarters of the entire public spending budget is secured by aid.
The Taliban claimed victory on August 15 last year after taking control of the capital, Kabul.
In that period, US-led international forces ended their nearly 20-year presence in the country.
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