KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The British government announced it will allocate £315 million (£105 million annually) in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan from 2026 to 2029 as the country grapples with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
In a statement to the UK parliament on Thursday, Hamish Falconer, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, said Afghanistan will remain one of the largest recipients of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) during this period.
Nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian aid this year, while 17.4 million face acute food insecurity, according to the statement. Afghanistan also bears one of the highest global burdens of child and maternal malnutrition, with nearly 5 million women, girls, and boys expected to need treatment in 2026.
The funding package will prioritize health care, nutrition, education, livelihoods, and climate resilience programs, while also assisting Afghans returning from neighboring countries, according to the statement.
The UK official stated that his country would expand support for Afghan organizations operating independently of the Taliban and maintain independent monitoring mechanisms to ensure aid reaches intended beneficiaries.
“Women and girls will remain central to this approach,” Falconer said, adding that Britain aims for at least half of those reached through UK-funded programs to be women and girls.
British-funded programs supported at least 2.7 million people during the 2024-25 financial year, including more than 1.7 million women and girls, the government said.
Falconer highlighted that Taliban restrictions on women and girls — including bans on secondary and higher education, employment, and participation in public life — continue to undermine fundamental freedoms and pose a major obstacle to Afghanistan’s long-term development, stability, and prosperity.
“The UK will continue to stand with the people of Afghanistan, providing life-saving assistance, supporting the rights of women and girls, and working with partners to sustain essential services and support longer-term resilience,” he added.
Afghanistan is grappling with consecutive years of drought, repeated natural disasters, economic decline, and mass returns of refugees from neighboring countries. Over half of the population now depends on foreign aid. Malnutrition among women and children has reached record levels, while foreign aid overall has fallen to its lowest in recent years, forcing many aid agencies to reduce or suspend operations.
The United Nations’ $1.71 billion humanitarian appeal for 2026 remains severely underfunded, with less than 20% of the required amount secured so far. UN agencies and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for sustained international support to deliver food, shelter, and healthcare to millions of vulnerable Afghans.
