Aid groups warn of deteriorating situation in Afghanistan

European Union officials and international leaders met in Brussels this week to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. In a speech before the meeting, EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said nearly 23 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian aid. As leaders met, a group of humanitarian organizations on Tuesday issued a statement urging the international community to fully fund the United Nations’ Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. As of June, only about 18% of the plan’s roughly $2.4 billion budget goal had been funded, according to the organizations. United Nations officials in April reevaluated the plan to prioritize regions and projects in case the plan does not fully reach its funding goals. In the statement this week, nonprofit organizations urged donors to commit to predictable and long-term investments in humanitarian work in Afghanistan.

What humanitarian needs exist in Afghanistan? Since taking over in 2021, Taliban authorities scaled back protections for women, religious minorities, and perceived political opponents, according to Amnesty International. Natural disasters have heightened humanitarian needs in the country. Nongovernmental organizations have played a key role in providing food, healthcare, emergency shelter, and clean water to citizens of Afghanistan, according to the U.N. As funding slowed, more than 420 health facilities, 300 nutrition sites, and 216 gender-based violence and service operations were suspended.

Meanwhile, a new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund found that 90% of children in Afghanistan live in food poverty. In response, UNICEF and the United Kingdom launched a new program called First Foods Afghanistan to improve the diets of children. The program aims to reach 1.7 million children across the country.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report about Afghans fearing deportation as the administration ends their temporary immigration status.