KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Bank and the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF) have approved $143 million in new funding for a nationwide livelihoods and resilience program in Afghanistan, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) announced.
In a statement, UNOPS said $95 million of the funding was approved by the World Bank and $48 million by the ARTF for the Afghanistan Community Resilience and Livelihoods Project (CRLP). With the latest allocation, the project’s total budget has risen to $562 million.
UNOPS said the additional funds will allow the program to expand activities across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, with a focus on job creation, strengthening household livelihoods, and improving access to basic services for vulnerable communities.
The CRLP was launched in April 2022 to support short-term employment and community infrastructure through labor-intensive public works and local development projects. According to UNOPS, the program has so far generated nearly 32 million days of paid work and supported more than 1.3 million vulnerable families nationwide. The program has also provided direct employment opportunities for around 80,000 women.
The new funding comes as Afghanistan continues to experience severe economic strain following sharp reductions in international humanitarian and development assistance since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The situation has been further compounded by climate-related shocks, including earthquakes, droughts, and floods, and the return of millions of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.
The country remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The UN agencies estimate that nearly 22 million people, close to half the population, require humanitarian assistance this year, while unemployment, food insecurity, and malnutrition among women and children remain widespread.
