KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for an additional $617 million to fund its humanitarian programs in Afghanistan for the remaining months of 2024.
WFP, in a recent report, expressed concern over the severe funding shortfall, stating that it can only support 1 million of the 12.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
According to the WFP, 1 in 4 people in Afghanistan are uncertain about where their next meal will come from.
The UN food agency highlights that 1.4 million mothers and children are no longer receiving specialized nutritious food, while the malnutrition rate remains critically high.
The humanitarian situation in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan continues to worsen, with nearly 24 million people, which is over half of the population, relying on humanitarian assistance.
Recent natural disasters, including earthquakes, heavy rains, floods, and landslides, along with the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from neighboring Iran and Pakistan, have deteriorated the situation.
Iran and Pakistan have deported nearly two million Afghan refugees to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan over the past year, many of whom fled due to the economic and humanitarian crisis.
According to the WFP, most deported individuals arrive with almost nothing in a country they barely know, with limited opportunities to make a living and feed their children.
Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies have been struggling with a severe funding shortfall in recent years, as global attention remains primarily focused on the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The UN’s $3.06 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan in 2024 remains significantly underfunded, with only 30% of the total amount raised so far and less than three months remaining in the year.
