KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Nations has allocated $16.6 million to support vulnerable communities in northern and northeastern Afghanistan to mitigate the effects of drought.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced Thursday that the funding includes $6.6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund and $10 million from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. It is the UN’s largest joint allocation for anticipatory drought action in the country to date.
The funding will be directed to Faryab, Sar-e-Pul, Takhar, and Badakhshan—provinces repeatedly hit by severe droughts in recent years. Faryab, in particular, is experiencing its worst drought in five years, according to OCHA.
The aid package will be used to deliver cash and other critical support before the crisis worsens. The assistance will target key sectors including food security, agriculture, livestock, health, water and sanitation, nutrition, and protection.
“Every dollar we invest now saves more dollars and more lives down the line,” said Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s top humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan. “This is a wholly data-driven initiative which will give families a fighting chance to safeguard their livelihoods before the worst hits.”
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s Humanitarian Affairs chief, who recently visited Afghanistan, called the initiative a shift toward a smarter response. “Forecast-based action is the future of humanitarian response,” he said. “With the right science and data, we can deliver faster, protect more people, and stretch scarce resources further.”
Afghanistan is grappling with its fourth consecutive year of drought. The crisis has devastated crop production, depleted groundwater, and drastically reduced access to safe drinking water. In 2022, the country experienced its worst drought in 30 years.
OCHA previously reported that 25 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces are currently facing “severe” or “catastrophic” drought conditions, affecting over half of the population. The country is also among the top 10 globally most impacted by extreme weather and natural disasters.
Meanwhile, nearly 23 million people—more than half the population—are in need of humanitarian aid, making Afghanistan the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis. Malnutrition remains alarmingly high, with an estimated 3.5 million children and women suffering from acute malnutrition.
