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Afghanistan could become a ‘forgotten crisis’, aid agencies warn

Humanitarian actors in Afghanistan assess that inaction from the international community is costing the most vulnerable Afghans dearly.

Published

2 years ago

August 14, 2024

Ariana News

Heavily dependent on humanitarian aid, Afghans are trapped in cycles of poverty, displacement, and despair; and Afghanistan is at risk of becoming a forgotten crisis without international support, a group of 10 aid organizations said in a statement Tuesday.

The organizations stated that Afghanistan desperately needs long-term development assistance to address the root causes of poverty.

Signatories to the statement warned that shrinking humanitarian funding is adversely impacting people’s daily lives, and a lack of funding for medium and longer-term programming has only heightened underlying vulnerabilities, adding to the humanitarian burden.

“Already this year, 343 mobile health teams have shut down, which equals 52% of all mobile health teams. This has had a significant impact on the health and nutrition response, as populations are not able to access essential lifesaving services,” warned Action Against Hunger (ACF), CARE International (CARE), the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), International Rescue Committee (IRC), INTERSOS, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), People in Need, Save the Children International, and World Vision International (WVI).

These agencies underscored that the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan cannot be addressed with humanitarian assistance alone and a comprehensive, sustained, and contextualized response from the international community is required. “Diplomatic engagement is crucial to creating an enabling environment in Afghanistan that will support upscaling international aid efforts to include development projects alongside emergency assistance,” the statement read.

“The current isolationist approach of most donor countries does not support durable solutions to the challenges faced by the people of Afghanistan, especially children, women, ethnic and other marginalized groups.”

Millions of Afghans continue to struggle in one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises, three years after the change in power.

While security has greatly improved in the country in this time, Afghanistan continues to experience shock after shock – the ongoing economic crisis, the legacy of decades of conflict, the impacts of climate change, and the gender crisis have taken a devastating toll on the country.

Humanitarian actors in Afghanistan assess that inaction from the international community is costing the most vulnerable Afghans dearly.

“Without rapid efforts to increase diplomatic engagement and longer-term sustainable funding, Afghans, especially women and girls, will be left to suffer for years to come.

“Poverty is nearly universal, and humanitarian needs are rising due to the ever-growing economic crisis, the impacts of climate change, the gender crisis, and diminishing aid,” the statement read.

In line with this, the organizations collectively called for an increase in humanitarian and diplomatic engagement with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to improve their ability to reach all people in need, provide aid effectively, efficiently, and equitably, and push the IEA to adhere to international human rights standards, including their obligations towards all genders of the population.

They also called for long-term relationship building and continuous engagement with the IEA in order to address Afghanistan’s most fundamental challenges.

“To avoid the country falling into deeper poverty and isolation, donors must bolster the return of development and longer-term programming and funding to build resilient communities that are less dependent on aid,” the statement read.

They also pointed out that donor governments should continue to reassure financial service providers that they are able to facilitate transactions into and within Afghanistan, increasing private and public confidence in doing business in Afghanistan and easing the current impediments to the transfer of funds into the country.

Currently, there are an estimated 23.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and despite the severity of needs, only 25 percent of the $3.06 billion required for the humanitarian response has been funded so far this year.

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US State Department: Afghanistan fails to meet minimum fiscal transparency standards

Published

4 minutes ago

August 12, 2026

Ariana News

The U.S. Department of State says Afghanistan’s ministries and other public-sector institutions failed to meet any of the minimum requirements for fiscal transparency during the review period.

In its 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report, released Tuesday, the State Department said no Afghan entity had published an executive budget proposal or an end-of-year report within a reasonable timeframe.

The report said that in the absence of a publicly available budget, there was no confirmation of government expenditures made to support public services. It also said Afghan institutions had not published timely information on public-sector debt obligations.

According to the report, publicly available revenue and expenditure figures did not correspond to actual revenues and expenditures, based on information gathered through contacts and the government’s inability to service public-sector debts.

However, some state-owned enterprises independently published information on their revenues and expenditures.

The State Department also said an entity calling itself the Supreme Audit Office, which announced that it would begin operating in 2022, had not clarified the legal basis for its activities and did not publish any audits or audit findings during the review period.

The report further noted that the IEA did not make public the budgets of their “military” and intelligence services.

The U.S. State Department recommended that Afghan ministries and public institutions improve fiscal transparency by publishing reliable budget documents on time, following internationally accepted budgeting principles, strengthening oversight of off-budget accounts, and making information on public-sector debt publicly available.

It also called for clearer laws governing natural-resource extraction and public procurement, as well as ensuring that any supreme audit institution operates independently and meets international standards.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghanistan’s budget does not belong to any other country, and therefore there is no obligation to provide information to others about how it is spent.

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FAO warns water shortages and heat put Afghanistan’s agriculture under pressure

FAO assessed current conditions and prospects using climate forecasts, remote-sensing data and consultations with farming communities across all 34 provinces.

Published

2 hours ago

August 12, 2026

Ariana News

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that water shortages and above-average temperatures are placing increasing pressure on summer crops and grazing across Afghanistan.

In its August 2026 outlook for Afghanistan’s 2026/27 agricultural season, FAO assessed current conditions and prospects using climate forecasts, remote-sensing data and consultations with farming communities across all 34 provinces.

The agency said persistent water shortages, combined with high temperatures, are affecting agricultural conditions during the summer season and increasing pressure on crops and livestock.

FAO also warned that persistently high fertilizer prices could limit farmers’ ability to invest in the upcoming winter wheat season, potentially affecting production prospects.

Looking ahead, the report says a strengthening El Niño and the possible development of a positive Indian Ocean Dipole could bring above-average precipitation during winter and spring.

Such conditions could improve water availability and boost prospects for agricultural production, but FAO cautioned that heavier rainfall could also increase the risk of floods, landslides, crop damage and livestock losses.

The agency said the latest outlook highlights the need for continued monitoring, anticipatory action and timely, practical climate and agricultural advisories to help farmers and livestock owners prepare for changing conditions.

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Hana raises concerns over Afghan women and children amid Iran’s expulsion policy

It said the risks are particularly serious for children born in Iran or those who have spent much of their lives there.

Published

4 hours ago

August 12, 2026

Ariana News

The Hana Human Rights Organization has raised serious concerns over the situation of Afghan women and children in Iran, saying the country’s plan to regulate and expel undocumented Afghan nationals remains in effect.

According to Hana, Iran’s Ministry of Interior has confirmed that the “Plan for the Regulation and Expulsion of Unauthorized Afghan Nationals” has not been suspended.

The organization said the policy is continuing amid the consequences of armed conflict and an increasingly securitized environment in Iran, which it said has heightened the vulnerability of Afghan migrants and asylum seekers.

Hana said it has previously documented cases involving the arrest and mistreatment of Afghan nationals, deportations, family separation and difficulties obtaining civil documentation and accessing essential services.

The organization warned that continued implementation of the expulsion policy could worsen these problems.

Hana expressed particular concern for Afghan children under 18, stressing that children’s rights are independent of their parents’ migration status.

It said irregular residence should not, by itself, justify a child’s detention, separation from family or removal without an individualized assessment. Any decision affecting a child, it added, should prioritize the child’s best interests, preserve family unity and provide additional safeguards for unaccompanied and separated children.

The organization warned that large-scale expulsions without clear procedures to identify and protect children at risk could result in family separation, disruption to education, lack of legal protection, difficulties establishing legal identity, exploitation and return to unsafe conditions.

It said the risks are particularly serious for children born in Iran or those who have spent much of their lives there.

Hana also highlighted gender-specific risks facing Afghan women and girls. It warned that deportation to Afghanistan without assessing risks linked to gender, previous political or social activities, family circumstances and access to support networks could expose them to serious human rights violations.

The organization said being classified as an “unauthorized foreign national” should not replace an individual assessment of a person’s protection needs and the risks they may face upon return.

Hana stressed that while states have the authority to regulate the entry and residence of foreign nationals, migration enforcement must comply with international human rights principles, including non-refoulement, the prohibition of collective expulsion, access to individualized procedures and respect for family unity.

It called for heightened protection for women and children, warning that continuing the expulsion plan without effective legal and protection safeguards could lead to further human rights violations against Afghan migrants and asylum seekers in Iran.