A senior official of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) announced a $50 million grant to help implement economic programs for citizens in the north of Afghanistan.

Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, while traveling in Mazar-e-Sharif, said that the UN will provide $ 1.5 million specifically to help diversify the work of business women in northern Afghanistan.

“This afternoon, we are also here to celebrate an agreement that we have just signed with the Islamic relief which involves one and half million dollars that we are investing together in the kinds of activities that I have just described in partnership with the Islamic relief of reaching many more women and citizens here in Afghanistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, a two-day exhibition of women’s handicrafts has been held in one of the hotels of Mazar-e-Sharif.

“Women whose workshops were active, we offered this today and we can encourage them to take care of their business and in the future we will have work plans for them,” said Shakiba Shakib, head of the Women's Chamber of Commerce and Investment of Balkh.

About 80 women from Faryab, Sar-e-Pul, Jawzjan, Samangan and Balkh provinces participated in the exhibition.

“Here we do marketing too, our customers come and see. Those who need our product, such as food sellers, can also come and do business with us,” said Nasira Bahram, participant.

One woman who spoke to TOLOnews came to Mazar-e-Sharif from Maimana city, the center of Faryab. She owns a clothing workshop in Maimana and welcomes the launch of the exhibition.

“We were unemployed for three to four months, we lost all hope, we thank God that we are back at work and we continue our work,” said Noria Noori, participant.

Those who have participated in this exhibition believe that holding such exhibitions will lead to the growth of sales of domestic products, and they want to launch similar programs.