KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it needs $718 million to continue its operations in Afghanistan for the next six months.
In a post on X on Tuesday, the UN food agency expressed concern about the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, stating that nearly 15 million people do not know where their next meal will come from.
While global attention remains focused on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the UN agency highlights Afghanistan as another critical hotspot requiring attention and substantial international aid intervention. However, in 2024, both the size of the annual appeal and the number of people it aims to assist have been reduced due to a decline in donations.
Afghanistan has been facing a severe humanitarian crisis for years, even before the Taliban took over in August 2021. The situation has worsened since then, with nearly 24 million people now in need of lifesaving aid. The crisis has been further exacerbated by recent natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, and heavy snowfall, which, in addition to the human toll, have caused widespread destruction and financial loss for the already impoverished population.
Earlier, WFP reported that nearly 15 million people, two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population, need food assistance this winter. The UN agency has requested $787 million to prevent this population from starvation.
Malnutrition rates are rising at an alarming rate. WFP estimates that around 3.5 million children under the age of five and 1.15 million pregnant and breastfeeding women will experience acute malnutrition in 2025, marking a 28% increase compared to 2024.
Meanwhile, the international community has yet to meet Afghanistan’s humanitarian funding needs. The UN’s $3 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan in 2024 remains severely underfunded, with only 37.5% of the required funds secured as of November 27. Last year’s $4.6 billion appeal was funded at just around 40%.
