Afghanistan has slipped down the international agenda despite the “extreme needs” of its people, a senior International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official said, urging the international community not to abandon Afghan communities.

ICRC Director of Operations Yasmine Praz Dessimoz told AFP in an interview in Kabul that Afghans were “struggling to survive with significant humanitarian needs” as the country’s health system continues to face severe pressure.

The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF warned last week that one million Afghan children are facing life-threatening malnutrition, while 3.7 million are suffering from acute malnutrition.

The UN has also said that a decline in international aid has forced the closure of about 100 clinics providing treatment for malnourished children across Afghanistan.

Afghanistan remains among the ICRC’s five largest operations worldwide, but funding cuts have forced the organisation to make difficult decisions about its activities, Praz Dessimoz said.

“Afghan people need national and international support,” she added.

The ICRC supports 46 clinics and seven rehabilitation centres across Afghanistan, providing healthcare and rehabilitation services, including for people wounded in conflict or injured by unexploded ordnance.

The organisation has also made communities along the Durand Line a priority, focusing on people affected by conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The ICRC says its ability to engage with parties on both sides allows it to provide support to communities along the frontier.

Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan intensified last October and continued into the spring, displacing thousands of people in Afghanistan and leaving hundreds of civilians dead or wounded.

Praz Dessimoz also raised concerns about restrictions imposed on women by Islamic Emirate authorities, including restrictions on education beyond primary school and access to certain professions.

“We could keep our female staff in our health support,” she said, but warned about the longer-term consequences if girls and women are prevented from receiving education.

“The major concern is what is next? Because if the new generation is not educated, then there won’t be any replacement,” she said.

She stressed the importance of women health workers in providing healthcare to women, saying they are needed “in order then to deliver (care) and to be close to a woman”.

During her week-long visit to Afghanistan, Praz Dessimoz met Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

“What is important is to be able to engage, to be able to have a dialogue with them,” she told AFP.

The Islamic Emirate government returned to power in August 2021 and remains internationally isolated, with Russia the only country to have formally recognised it as Afghanistan’s government.

The European Union has announced an additional €15 million in funding for its ongoing partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to strengthen food security and climate resilience in Afghanistan.

The funding will support efforts to address food insecurity, malnutrition, poverty and the impacts of climate change by combining school feeding, climate-resilient livelihoods, sustainable natural resource management and private-sector development in agribusiness.

Eric Beaume, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation, said the contribution reflects the EU’s continued commitment to Afghan communities, particularly women, children and vulnerable rural families.

He said the investment in agribusiness, food value chains and school feeding will help improve nutrition, protect livelihoods and strengthen the economic resilience of vulnerable communities.

The additional funding will extend the programme for 12 months, with a greater focus on agribusiness, food safety and quality, while school feeding and climate-resilience activities will continue.

John Aylieff, WFP Representative and Country Director in Afghanistan, welcomed the EU’s support, saying it would help strengthen livelihoods, improve local food systems and create more opportunities for women and young people.

The EU said the new funding builds on its long-standing support for resilience and school feeding programmes in Afghanistan and aims to strengthen the local private sector through local procurement and stronger links with humanitarian programmes.

The Islamic Emirate says pressure from the United States on the United Nations and some countries has hindered formal recognition of its government in Afghanistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, told Ariana News on Monday that Washington is pressuring the UN and several countries to refrain from formal engagement with Kabul.

“They may not say it openly or have announced it, but overall it appears that pressure is being put on the United Nations and some other countries, preventing them from engaging with us. Otherwise, engagement should have taken place by now,” Mujahid said.

He said some countries remain under the influence of major global powers, preventing them from making further progress in their relations with the Islamic Emirate.

“Countries that were at war or in conflict with us, or some countries that are still under the influence of those major powers, naturally have not been able to make progress in engagement. The blame does not lie with Afghanistan, and their policies have not changed since the war,” he said.

Meanwhile, analysts say the United States continues to have significant influence over the foreign policies of many countries. They argue that unless Washington changes its approach toward the Islamic Emirate, further progress toward formal recognition is likely to remain difficult.

The Islamic Emirate, however, says its foreign policy is focused on economic interests and that Kabul seeks to expand relations with all countries.