KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned that millions of people in Afghanistan face harsh winter conditions without adequate shelter, warm clothing or heating supplies, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis and severe funding shortages.
In a press release on Friday, October 30, UNHCR said about 4.2 million people in Afghanistan would need shelter assistance in 2026, while nearly one-third of assessed households reported having insufficient winter clothing.
“Afghanistan faces another difficult winter amid large-scale returns, massive humanitarian needs and severe funding constraints,” UNHCR said.
The agency said nearly four million people returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran between January 2025 and July 2026, many with limited resources to rebuild their lives.
Dominique Hyde, UNHCR’s Director of External Relations, said families were being forced to make difficult choices between heating their homes, buying food and accessing healthcare.
“Last winter, many burned cardboard, paper or plastic waste to stay warm because coal and firewood were unaffordable,” Hyde said, warning that children were particularly vulnerable to pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses.
UNHCR has launched its annual winter appeal, seeking at least $50 million to provide assistance during the 2026-27 winter to nine million people in four war-affected countries: Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon.
“Resources are scarce and costs are spiralling just as winter looms in the Northern Hemisphere,” Hyde said, warning that millions of people in fragile and conflict-affected countries risk facing extreme cold without adequate protection.
Afghanistan under Taliban rule 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 large-scale return of Afghans from neighboring countries.
Nearly 22 million people — almost half of Afghanistan’s population — are in need of humanitarian assistance this year, according to the United Nations, with women and children among those most vulnerable.
The World Food Programme has 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.
Humanitarian agencies are also grappling with a major funding shortfall. The United Nations has appealed for $1.71 billion to meet Afghanistan’s urgent needs this year, but only about 30% of the required funding had been secured as of August, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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.
