KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The European Union has contributed 10 million euros (about $12 million) to the United Nations-run Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund to support life-saving aid programs across the country, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday.
OCHA welcomed the contribution in a post on X, saying the funding would help sustain humanitarian assistance for millions of people facing growing needs.
“Your support helps sustain life-saving humanitarian assistance for millions facing growing needs across Afghanistan,” OCHA said.
The donation comes as Afghanistan continues to face one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Millions of people are struggling to meet basic needs amid persistent economic hardship, recurring natural disasters, reduced international assistance and the return of large numbers of Afghans from neighboring countries.
Restrictions imposed by the Taliban, including policies limiting the participation of women in parts of public life and humanitarian work, have further complicated the delivery of aid. Aid agencies have warned that such restrictions make it more difficult to reach vulnerable communities.
Nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance this year, according to the UN, with women and children among those most vulnerable.
The World Food Programme has recently warned of a rapidly worsening child malnutrition crisis that has reached critical levels in 12 provinces. Nearly 3.7 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year, the agency said.
Meanwhile, Humanitarian agencies are also grappling with a major funding shortfall. The UN has appealed for $1.71 billion to meet Afghanistan’s urgent needs this year, but only about 26% of the required funding had been secured as of early August, according to OCHA.
Aid agencies continue to call for sustained international funding, warning that shortages are hampering the delivery of food, shelter and healthcare to millions of vulnerable Afghans.
