U.N. aid chief pushes for restart of Afghanistan development aid

An Afghan girl receives a loaf of bread in front of a bakery among the crowd in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Countries should restart development aid for Afghanistan as it faces a worsening humanitarian and economic crisis, U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Monday, a year after such assistance was halted over the Taliban seizing power.

The country has long relied heavily on development aid, which was cut as the international community demanded the Taliban respect the rights of Afghans, particularly girls and women whose access to work and education has been limited by the Islamist group.