The United Nations announced on Thursday it is seeking $4.4 billion for Afghanistan in the largest ever humanitarian appeal launched for a single country, Reuters reported.

Ahead of the drive, Britain pledged 286 million pounds ($374 million) for Afghanistan, where six out of every 10 Afghans need aid, much of it food, amid an economic crisis worsened by a financial aid cutoff following the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) takeover in August.

“Afghans need our help in enabling their economy, sustaining their agriculture and enabling the basic functioning of social services,” UN aid chief Martin Griffiths told a news briefing on Wednesday ahead of the event co-hosted with Britain, Germany and Qatar.

The UN says funds under the appeal — three times the amount requested in 2021 and so far only 13% funded — go directly to aid agencies and none are channeled through the de facto authorities, Reuters reported.

In a sign that recent IEA moves on human rights and inclusivity may directly impact willingness to help IEA, the US cancelled meetings with them in Qatar after the reversal of a decision on girls returning to high schools.

“We want to see those prohibitions, those constraints removed. I hope it will not mean that the pledges that we have from this conference are limited by that because I can tell you that there are efforts ongoing,” Griffiths said.

He urged political engagement with the IEA administration, saying it wants to find “a constructive path forward” with the global community, and that isolating Afghanistan now would only bring more suffering in the future.

About 23 million people face acute food insecurity as Afghanistan also experiences its worst drought in 30 years, while 10 million children are in urgent need of aid, according to the United Nations.

German foreign ministry official Ricklef Beutin called for the world to join in the 4.4 billion pledge but added: “The Taliban (IEA), the de facto authorities have to live up to their responsibilities, to protect their people and to help humanitarian organisations do the work on the ground that they need to do.”