Nine million Afghan women at risk of losing maternal health and wider services, warns UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned that recent cuts to U.S. funding could leave up to nine million women in Afghanistan without access to vital maternal and broader healthcare services—threatening to undo years of progress in saving lives and improving reproductive health.

In a statement posted Tuesday on X, UNFPA stressed that the funding shortfall puts hard-won gains in reducing maternal mortality at serious risk. The agency had earlier projected that at least 6.3 million Afghan women would lose access to essential health services unless urgent financial support is restored.

The United States had been one of UNFPA’s largest donors, contributing an average of $180 million annually. Between recent cycles, U.S. contributions totaled roughly $335 million, helping to support maternal healthcare, protection from gender-based violence, services for survivors of sexual assault, and other programs across more than 20 crisis-affected countries—including Afghanistan.

The abrupt suspension of U.S. aid, triggered by policy changes introduced in early 2025, has had a particularly severe impact in Afghanistan. Key programs backed by USAID and the World Food Programme (WFP) have been forced to shut down hundreds of health clinics, cutting off care for millions of women in both rural and urban areas.