UN Deputy Relief Chief warns Security Council funding cuts hindering humanitarian response in Afghanistan

Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan by Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, on behalf of Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

New York, 23 June 2025

As prepared for delivery

Thank you, Madame President. I will build upon the words of my colleague, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, on the humanitarian situation.

The people of Afghanistan face persistent and acute humanitarian needs compounded by decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, an ever-harsher climate, severe restrictions on the rights of women and girls, and a highly constrained funding environment.

Half of the population needs humanitarian assistance, with hunger, protracted displacement, and limited access to essential services.

While words often fall short, the numbers speak with clarity.

One in every five Afghans is hungry. 3.5 million children are acutely malnourished. An estimated 3.7 million children are out of school, including 2.2 million girls over the age of 11 banned from education due to restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities. The maternal mortality rate is over 2.5 times the global average. Over 600,000 Afghans have returned this year from Iran and Pakistan, including many women, even as resources and services are struggling to cope.

Parts of the country stand on the cusp of drought once again – the fourth time in just five years. Kabul risks becoming the first city in modern times to run out of water, as water levels within its aquifers have dropped by up to 30 meters in the past decade due to urbanization and climate change. Almost half of the city’s boreholes have dried out.

The UN and partners are doing their best to stave off the worst impacts of climate shocks, including with a $16.6 million allocation in April by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, from the Central Emergency Response Fund.

Funding cuts continue to hinder the humanitarian response. 420 health facilities have been forced shut due to lack of funding, depriving more than 3 million Afghans of life-saving health services. Almost 300 nutrition sites have closed, depriving 80,000 acutely malnourished children, pregnant women and new mothers of essential treatment. The impacts of cuts were the harsh reality for the women and healthcare workers that the Emergency Relief Coordinator met in Kabul, Kandahar and Kunduz during his visit in April.

Madame President, since the Taliban took power almost four years ago in August, Afghan women and girls have borne the worst impacts of the crisis.

The UN and its partners have consistently advocated for the participation of Afghan women in the humanitarian response. As we heard from SRSG Otunbayeva, their ability to work freely, without harassment, intimidation or the threat of violence, is urgent. We renew our call for them to be allowed to work safely and without restriction.

Despite challenges, and at great risk, our Afghan female colleagues continue to deliver aid, going where others cannot, listening to communities who would otherwise not be heard, and standing by those who might otherwise be forgotten. In support of local partnerships, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund recently launched a $2.4 million allocation dedicated entirely to national actors, including 18 women-led organizations.

Madame President, this is OCHA’s seventh briefing to the Council since the adoption of the ‘humanitarian exception’ in Security Council Resolution 2615. As we have previously shared with the Council, Resolution 2615 is vital to life-saving humanitarian action in Afghanistan.

Since 15 August 2021, $7.8 billion in humanitarian funding has allowed us to help the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan. This funding has saved countless lives, reducing the number of those experiencing food insecurity, providing essential health services, and supporting people affected by displacement, earthquakes, droughts and floods.

These achievements have been possible because the humanitarian exception covers expenditures which are necessary to deliver humanitarian assistance. This includes:

• Rent on state-owned premises and warehouses;
• Withholding tax on national/international NGO staff income, rent and suppliers;
• Visas and work permits for national/international NGO staff;
• Fees for imports;
• Utilities such as water and electricity; and
• Licenses for NGO registration, communications equipment and municipal charges.

The nature and modality of payments made under the exception have remained unchanged over the past four years. They are the same payments and modalities carried out before August 2021, under the former administration of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

These expenses are essential, planned and budgeted operational costs – critical to carrying out humanitarian assistance across Afghanistan. They are in line with payments we have to make to authorities in every country where humanitarian assistance is implemented.

Madame President, in an environment as complex as Afghanistan, risks may manifest themselves through attempts to interfere with aid distribution or pressures to amend beneficiary lists. Risks apply to both in-kind and cash programming.

Humanitarians make every effort to ensure that aid reaches the people who need it. Steps are taken to prevent diversion, including in the assessment, planning, distribution and monitoring phases, applying standards in line with best practices. In-kind and cash assistance is allocated based on rigorous needs and vulnerability assessments and governed by clearly defined criteria, with distributions safeguarded by vetted beneficiary lists, ID checks and biometric authentication, and reinforced by in-person monitoring. This past year, we strengthened our risk management procedures.

A Risk Mitigation Matrix is regularly reviewed, and a risk register is updated to identify and address potential aid diversion channels.

Monthly post-distribution monitoring exercises assess indicators to detect irregularities in cash assistance, including aid diversion. To minimize risks even further, some humanitarian partners have also digitized the payment process from source to beneficiary. OCHA has delivered training on risks of aid diversion in cash and voucher assistance, reaching staff across more than 50 organizations.

Financial service providers engaged by humanitarian partners for aid distribution also undergo rigorous due diligence. Measures include a detailed vetting for all suppliers and partners, with annual rescreening, and contractual clauses to ensure compliance, including termination clauses when sanction breaches are identified.

If aid diversion ever does occur, we take action by ceasing distributions; engaging with entities at central and regional level; establishing compliance criteria for resumption of aid; and ensuring that donors are informed.

Madame President, the high levels of needs in Afghanistan outpace the funding available to support people.

We are halfway through the year, and the humanitarian response plan is under 21 per cent funded, with a gap of $1.9 billion. Due to cuts, we have hyper-prioritized the response to focus on the most critical needs of 12.5 million people in the most severely affected districts, down from an initial target of 16.8 million people.

We had to de-prioritize lower-severity areas – not because needs have disappeared, but because resources are not enough. Our response has continued, but our ability to reach those in need has diminished.

Cuts have had a particular impact on support to women. Organizations are finding it more difficult to bear mahram costs, where women need to be escorted by men when traveling, and other costs related to ‘sharia compliant’ employment of women. Reduced movements result in reduced reach, such as basic health services to women.

To mitigate the impact of reduced resources, humanitarian partners in Afghanistan are implementing an ambitious reform of the coordination architecture. In line with the “Humanitarian Reset,” it will further enhance efficiencies, accountability and impact.

For the people of Afghanistan, Madame President, allow me to conclude with three asks:

First, continue to strengthen the implementation of the ‘humanitarian exception’ in Security Council Resolution 2615.

Second, support the resilience of Afghan communities by increasing investments in agriculture, health systems and other vital services. The humanitarian response alone will never fully address the scale of what is required.

And third, fund our humanitarian work.

Madame, President, the needs of the Afghan people must not be forgotten. Thank you.