The United Nations has issued an urgent warning to the international community. Escalating funding shortfalls are crippling humanitarian operations in Afghanistan and placing millions at risk, as the country grapples with hunger, displacement, climate shocks, and the ongoing marginalization of women and girls. This warning comes at a time when 22.9 million people, including 12.3 million Children, require humanitarian assistance and protection.
On Monday, Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, delivered a briefing to the UN Security Council on behalf of UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. Her message was unambiguous: while the needs of the Afghan people remain severe, the global will to meet those needs is shrinking.
“Half of the population needs humanitarian assistance, with hunger, protracted displacement, and limited access to essential services,” Msuya told the Council, stressing that 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. “
Msuya noted that the maternal mortality rate is over 2.5 times the global average and that over 600,000 Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan this year, including many women, even though resources and basic services are struggling to cope.
Humanitarian access problems are further undermined by shrinking resources. Thus far in 2025, the UN's humanitarian response plan has received less than 21 percent of the funding it needs, leaving a staggering US$1.9 billion gap. The consequences are immediate and severe.
Since the beginning of the year, 420 health facilities have been forced to close, cutting off over 3 million people from basic healthcare. Nearly 300 nutrition centers have shut down, leaving 80,000 acutely malnourished children and young mothers without lifesaving treatment.
“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,” Msuya said.
“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.”
Climate crisis adds fuel to the fire
Even as humanitarian organizations are forced to scale back, Afghanistan's environmental conditions continue to spiral downward. The country faces the threat of a fourth drought in five years.
Water shortages are now acute. In Kabul, for example, groundwater levels have dropped by up to 30 meters in just a decade. Nearly half of the capital’s boreholes have dried out, bringing the city dangerously close to becoming the first modern capital to run out of water.
In April, the UN allocated $16.6 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to mitigate the impact of these climate shocks. However, these funds pale in comparison to the scale of the crisis.
Women and girls bear the heaviest burden
Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, Afghan women and girls have suffered the most from the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation. They face severe restrictions, including a ban on girls' education above age 11 and severe limits on women's freedom to work.
Despite these obstacles, Afghan women continue to play a critical role in delivering aid, often risking their safety in the effort.
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,” Msuya said.
The Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund recently launched a $2.4 million initiative to support national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including 18 women-led organizations.
However, funding cuts are making it increasingly difficult to meet the logistical requirements imposed by the Taliban’s restrictive measures against women.
Many organizations can no longer afford to pay for mahram escorts, which require women to be accompanied by male relatives when traveling, nor can they adapt workplaces to meet so-called "sharia-compliant" standards.
As a result, services for women, such as basic health services, are diminishing further.
Humanitarian work still functioning and effective
Despite growing challenges, the humanitarian system in Afghanistan is functioning and effective — when funded.
Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, $7.8 billion in aid has reached millions of Afghans and saved countless lives by providing food, essential health services, shelter, and support during natural disasters such as earthquakes, droughts, and floods and helping people affected by displacement.
Security Council Resolution 2615 made this possible by creating a "humanitarian exception" to sanctions, which allows humanitarian organizations to pay for essential services such as rent on state-owned premises, utility bills, work permits, and taxes.
“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,” Msuya said.
She also addressed concerns about aid diversion, defending the integrity of the distribution systems.
“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,” she said.
Msuya described a multi-layered system of safeguards, including beneficiary ID checks, biometric verification, and in-person monitoring. Financial service providers undergo strict due diligence, including annual vetting and contractual clauses that allow for immediate termination upon detection of misuse.
Three asks for the international community
Msuya concluded her address with a direct appeal to the Council and donors worldwide. Her message was clear: the scale of need in Afghanistan requires urgent and coordinated international action.
She called on the 15-member body to strengthen the implementation of the “humanitarian exception” in Resolution 2615; to invest in long-term resilience, particularly in sectors such as agriculture and public health, in order to reduce dependence on humanitarian aid; and to fund the humanitarian response.
As the world shifts its attention from one crisis to another, the humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan is at risk of being overlooked. However, the official's message to the Security Council was a stark reminder that for Afghans, especially women and children, the emergency is far from over.
“The needs of the Afghan people must not be forgotten,” Msuya said in closing.
Further information
Full text: 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, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, statement, delivered June 23, 2025
https://www.unocha.org/news/un-deputy-relief-chief-warns-security-council-funding-cuts-hindering-humanitarian-response