KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – South Korea has pledged $3 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support food and nutrition assistance for vulnerable women and children in Afghanistan over the next 12 months, the UN agency announced Thursday.
In a post on X, the WFP said the contribution from South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs would enable it to provide food and nutrition assistance to about 24,500 vulnerable women and children across Afghanistan.
The funding comes as Afghanistan continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of people struggling to meet basic needs amid prolonged economic hardship, recurring natural disasters, reduced international assistance and the return of large numbers of Afghans from neighboring countries.
Nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan are expected to need humanitarian assistance this year, according to the United Nations, with women and children among the most vulnerable.
The WFP has warned that child malnutrition has reached critical levels in several provinces. Funding shortages have limited its ability to deliver food assistance.
John Aylieff, the WFP’s country director for Afghanistan, said in an article published by British magazine Prospect that children are already dying as a result of cuts to humanitarian aid.
“We are bracing ourselves for a further increase in child mortality in the coming months,” Aylieff wrote, adding that the agency is struggling to secure enough funding to assist severely malnourished children.
The WFP’s appeal for Afghanistan this year was only about 12% funded as of August, according to the agency. The broader UN humanitarian appeal of $1.71 billion for the country was about 26% funded by early August, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
The funding gap has raised concerns among aid agencies about their ability to maintain essential operations, including food distribution, healthcare, shelter and assistance for people affected by displacement and natural disasters.
