KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s most severe nutrition emergencies, with 3.5 million children acutely malnourished and one million severely wasted and at risk, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Tajuddin Oyuwale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said in a post on X that the crisis is preventable and called for sustained funding and access for female health workers to protect children and save lives.
Afghanistan has long struggled with malnutrition, but conditions have worsened sharply since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, triggering economic collapse, rising poverty and a steep drop in foreign assistance.
The country is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. The UN estimates nearly 23 million people, more than half of Afghanistan’s population, need humanitarian assistance, most of them women and children. Around 14.8 million face acute food insecurity, and millions of children require immediate nutrition assistance.
Aid agencies say they are facing an unprecedented decline in funding, particularly after the suspension of U.S. assistance, previously Afghanistan’s largest source of support. Several programs have already scaled back or halted operations.
UN agencies and aid groups continue to call for sustained international support, warning they cannot meet growing needs or maintain essential services without reliable funding.
