Humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan urge the international community to not abandon the country

Humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan urge the international community to not abandon the country

Kabul, 16 June 2025

After four decades of devastating conflict, people in Afghanistan are facing a deep and ongoing crisis shaped by repeated climate shocks, cross-border displacement, underdevelopment and – in recent months – declining international support. Increasingly harsh restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities on the rights of Afghan women and girls have worsened existing vulnerabilities and heightened risks for those already bearing the brunt of the crisis. This includes rising rates of child marriage, gender-based violence and child labour.

As leaders gather over the next two days for the Senior Officials Meeting on Afghanistan, UN agencies and international and national NGOs operating in Afghanistan call on the international community to stand in solidarity with the Afghan people and take collective action to prevent a fragile situation from deteriorating further.

Almost halfway into 2025, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is just 18 per cent funded, disrupting aid delivery to millions of people across the country, including women and girls, displaced communities, children, returnees, refugees and other vulnerable and marginalized groups.

Already, over 420 health facilities have closed, denying access to primary health care to three million people, while nearly 300 nutrition sites have shut, cutting off lifesaving treatment for 80,000 malnourished children and mothers. In the protection sector, 216 gender-based violence and service delivery points have been suspended, leaving one million women and girls without support, while services for 3.3 million people, including children and persons with disabilities, are no longer available. WASH and shelter interventions have also stalled, while emergency food assistance will be limited to just one million people between May and October, leaving five million people empty-handed.

Despite funding shortfalls and other operational challenges such as access constraints and the imposition of restrictive policies by the de facto authorities on women’s right to work, aid agencies are on the ground and delivering. With generous support from donors, humanitarian actors are fighting hunger, disease and deprivation and providing lifesaving assistance and services including protection, education, shelter and clean water.

Local NGOs and civil society organizations are at the forefront of these efforts, often serving as the first—and sometimes only—responders in remote and underserved areas. Time and again in Afghanistan, we have seen how donor support can be the difference between life and death. Generous contributions have helped prevent famine, safeguarded livelihoods from climate change and during droughts, and enabled families to endure economic collapse amid political upheaval. The imperative for donors to maintain and deepen their support for the people of Afghanistan is as critical now as it was ten years ago.

We make an urgent appeal to donors to increase flexible, timely and predictable funding for the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Without swift intervention, the hard-won progress achieved through years of dedicated assistance risks being undone. Equally important is a commitment to longer-term investments in the continuum from humanitarian assistance to building sustainable resilience. Donors and partners must prioritize initiatives that build local capacity, strengthen basic service delivery and foster self-reliance. This includes long-term investments in education, healthcare and economic development to provide a stable foundation for the future. Such strategic, long-term support is crucial to breaking the cycle of dependency and enabling Afghan communities to thrive.

***

Media Contacts: Kate Carey, Deputy Head of Office, OCHA Afghanistan, carey2@un.org, Mobile +93 79 300 3700; Abdullah Zahid, Public Information Officer, OCHA Afghanistan, abdullah.zahid@un.org, Mobile +93 79 300 3200. www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int

Note to Editors: Anticipatory action is acting ahead of predicted hazards to prevent or reduce acute humanitarian impacts before they fully unfold. More information and success stories are available here: https://www.unocha.org/anticipatory-action