UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has recently announced that it requires $949.1 million in funding in the current year to support 12 million people, including 6.5 million children, in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the organization said that this funding will provide life-saving assistance and essential services to people in need. It will also address urgent humanitarian needs while strengthening the long-term resilience of communities, to ensure that every child in Afghanistan has the opportunity to survive and thrive.
UNICEF further emphasized that the people of Afghanistan continue to face a range of interconnected crises—from natural disasters and a shrinking protection and support space to a fragile economy, limited access to basic services, and climate-change-related shocks—all of which have hindered recovery and reconstruction after more than four decades of war.
The United Nations Children’s Fund noted that the protection crisis is intensifying, with women of reproductive age, children, youth, and marginalized groups facing increasing risks.
The organization added:
“Women and girls in Afghanistan are facing a structural rights crisis. Bans on secondary education and participation in the workforce, combined with severe restrictions on daily life, have increased protection risks and threaten the long-term resilience of society. The consequences of this situation will be felt for generations.”
UNICEF said that as conditions worsen, its continued presence in Afghanistan is essential to deliver vital services and protect the most vulnerable.
UNICEF also stated that out of 21.9 million people in Afghanistan who will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, 12 million are children.
This comes as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had previously requested $1.72 billion to assist vulnerable people in Afghanistan.
