KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — The European Union (EU) has announced a new financial aid package worth €146 million for the people of Afghanistan.
The new funding, according to the EU statement, will strengthen basic services and livelihoods for Afghans, particularly for women, children, internally displaced people, refugees, minorities, and returnees.
Announcing the new package at a UN General Assembly side event titled “Three Years On: Supporting Afghan Women’s Rights,” European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, stated that the EU remains steadfast in its support for the people of Afghanistan, especially women, and girls, who face severe restrictions under the Taliban.
“Despite the volatile context, we can continue to strengthen resilience of communities and individuals through basic social services, community-based safety nets, and livelihoods support in line with the EU’s established principled approach,” Urpilainen said.
“Our efforts ensure that women play a meaningful role in both the design and delivery of assistance. This new €146 million package reinforced our ongoing commitment to supporting the most vulnerable in Afghanistan,” she added.
According to the EU statement, the EU official also signed three agreements with the UN agencies to support livelihoods and improve access to health services for the people of Afghanistan.
The agreements include €15 million with UNDP to enhance community resilience, €16 million with WHO to improve access to quality disease care services and €15 million with UNFPA to strengthen reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health and nutrition care.
The EU says that, as the world’s leading provider of support for the people of Afghanistan, it has contributed €903 million for basic needs, livelihoods, forced displacement, and migration, in addition to €743 million in humanitarian assistance through a nexus approach since 2021.
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has continued to worsen since the Taliban took control, making it one of the world’s most severe crises. According to the UN, nearly 24 million people now require humanitarian assistance.
The country remains highly vulnerable to frequent natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, and landslides, due to its mountainous terrain and ongoing environmental degradation.
Furthermore, the recent forced deportation of Afghan refugees from neighboring Iran and Pakistan has worsened the situation, as they return to Afghanistan with almost nothing, and the Taliban has proven unable to manage the crisis.
Women and children continue to face even greater challenges due to the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s education, employment, and social mobility.
According to the UN, nearly 2.9 million children are projected to face acute malnutrition in 2024, with more than 850,000 requiring treatment for severe acute malnutrition—a life-threatening condition.
