UN warns of worsening hunger crisis in Afghanistan, with millions facing food insecurity

The United Nations has warned that hunger and malnutrition in Afghanistan are deteriorating rapidly, with more than 19.2 million people projected to face acute food insecurity.

Speaking at the UN Secretary-General’s noon briefing on Thursday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric cited projections from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), saying five million people are expected to face emergency levels of hunger.

Dujarric added that an estimated four million children and 1.3 million mothers are projected to suffer from malnutrition.

He said approximately one-third of Afghanistan’s health facilities, including 815 malnutrition treatment clinics, are either closed or suspended, further restricting access to essential health and nutrition services for women and children.

According to Dujarric, the World Food Programme (WFP) continues to provide food assistance, nutrition support and resilience programmes for vulnerable communities. However, funding shortages forced the agency to halt some food assistance in June to preserve limited resources for the winter, when hunger is expected to peak.

He said WFP is preparing its winter response, but current funding will allow it to assist only one million of the five million people requiring support.

Dujarric stressed that WFP needs $545 million over the next six months to respond to the rapidly worsening crisis.

The warning comes as Afghanistan faces mounting humanitarian challenges, with millions of people at risk of severe hunger and access to essential nutrition services increasingly constrained.