Last week, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) released its 63rd quarterly report, providing an update on U.S. assistance to Afghanistan. In the extended wake of the August 2021 withdrawal of Western forces, subsequent collapse of the Republic government, and the Taliban’s rise to power, these reports have shifted in focus but remain valuable troves of information on a country that has fallen far from U.S. headlines.
The United States, SIGAR notes, “remains the largest donor to the Afghan people.” Since August 2021, $17.19 billion in assistance has been made available to Afghanistan and Afghan refugee programs. This includes $2.8 billion in appropriations for Afghanistan, around $10.8 billion in funding for Defense and State programs including Operation Allies Welcome and Enduring Welcome aimed at bringing and settling Afghan allies in the U.S., and $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan Central Bank assets transferred to the Fund for the Afghan People (which has, to date, made no disbursements).
The $2.8 billion in appropriations for Afghanistan assistance is primarily directed to the “humanitarian” funding category, with assistance in all categories – humanitarian, development, agency operations, and security – falling precipitously since October 2021. For example, of the $2.8 billion more than half, $1.6 billion, was allocated in fiscal year 2022 (which began in October 2021). In FY2024 only $277 million was funded.
SIGAR’s report dives into specific programs, which is well worth perusing to understand the breadth and scope of assistance efforts – and which efforts have fallen by the wayside as budgets contract. For example, all of the USAID education programs listed in the report ceased to receive funding after FY2022. The USAID programs that continue to have funding into FY2024 include a handful of health programs, one focused on new disease early warning systems and another on urban health; as well as an economic growth program focused on export-oriented competitiveness.
The difficulties in engaging with the Taliban, and concerns about funding being misappropriated if transferred to Taliban control, depress opportunities to work on even humanitarian issues. Taliban policies limiting women’s ability to work are also damaging to these efforts.