KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The European Union has contributed €13 million ($15 million) to the World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver emergency aid to 500,000 vulnerable Afghans over the next three months.
In a statement Tuesday, WFP called the contribution “critical,” saying it will help deliver food to families facing acute hunger and specialized nutrition for more than 85,000 children suffering from life-threatening malnutrition.
“Hunger and malnutrition are devastating vulnerable families in Afghanistan, many of whom are struggling to survive,” said François Goemans, head of the EU’s humanitarian aid office in Afghanistan. “The EU stands in solidarity with the most vulnerable women, men, and children of Afghanistan in these difficult moments.”
Afghanistan is experiencing a historic surge in child malnutrition, according to WFP. An estimated 3.5 million children are malnourished in 2025, half a million more than last year — equal to one child becoming malnourished every ten seconds.
“This is the sharpest rise in child malnutrition ever recorded in Afghanistan,” said John Aylieff, WFP’s country director. He warned that the crisis comes as emergency food assistance is being cut back and Afghans continue to be forced home from neighboring countries.
The country’s humanitarian crisis is fueled by drought, poverty, and the mass return of Afghans from abroad. The UN says nearly 23 million people need assistance, including almost 15 million facing acute food insecurity. Women and girls remain barred from education and most jobs under Taliban rule.
Despite soaring needs, funding is drying up. The UN’s $2.42 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan in 2025 is just 18% funded as of mid-June.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the EU has contributed more than €290 million to WFP operations in Afghanistan, making it one of the agency’s top five donors this year.
