The US Department of State on Tuesday said that Washington as the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan is discussing options that will allow it to maintain a strong position while also doing what “we can to prevent the humanitarian situation from deteriorating even further as a result of the difficult operating environment the Taliban have themselves created.” 

Speaking at a press conference, Price also expressed concerns over barring women from working in NGOs, saying that the decision puts at risk millions of Afghans who depend on humanitarian assistance for their very survival. 

“In Afghanistan in particular, only women have been able until now, at least, to reach some of the most vulnerable people inside Afghanistan. Women must work at NGOs. They must be in a position to do so, so that millions of Afghans can receive food, medicine, winterization materials, again for their very survival,” Price said. 

The Ministry of Economy (MoE) meanwhile said that more than 2,000 national and foreign NGOs are registered in the ministry. 

According to the MoE, 176 of these foreign organizations were registered in the ministry in 2022. 

“In general, there are around 2,565 non-government organizations. 772 of them are foreign and 2,293 of them are national. In 2022, 616 organizations have referred to the ministry, of which 176 are foreign non-government organizations and 441 are domestic non-government organizations,” said Abdul Rahman Habib, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy. 

Analysts said the people need international aid and that the suspension of operations of some international NGOs will cause challenges for Afghans’ economy. 

“Unfortunately, the abrupt halting of aid will have a significant impact on general expenses and will reduce the income of families and their expenses,” said Siyar Qureshi, an analyst in economic affairs. 

“The people of Afghanistan are in serious need of humanitarian aid. Any interruption in aid will affect incomes and leave a big impact on the economic situation of the people and the country,” said Darya Khan Baheer, an economic affairs analyst. 

This comes as Fran Equiza, UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, met with many officials of the caretaker government in which he expressed his concerns about the suspensions of women’s jobs at NGOs.