Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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December 10, 2025 Humanitarian aid
At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher said Afghanistan is facing one of the largest humanitarian disasters in modern times.
Nearly 22 million Afghans will require aid in 2026, making the country the third-worst humanitarian crisis in the world after Sudan and Yemen.
Famine and natural disasters
To help 17.5 million people in Afghanistan, the UN is appealing for $1.7 billion, of which $375.9 million is urgently needed to help 3.9 million of the most vulnerable Afghans. The number of people suffering from hunger in Afghanistan has increased for the first time in four years, reaching 17.4 million. More than 2.6 million refugees will have returned to the country in 2025, and more than four million in the past two years alone. Most of them are women and children, who face severe restrictions on education, employment, and access to healthcare.
The country was further devastated by two major earthquakes in August and November, which claimed thousands of lives and destroyed entire villages. Drought has affected 3.4 million people this year, reducing crop yields and accelerating the depletion of water resources.
Restrictions on women's employment
Tom Fletcher emphasized that restrictions on women's work in humanitarian organizations seriously complicate the provision of foreign aid. In September, the country's de facto authorities banned female UN staff from visiting offices, and in October, from working at key reception centers for returning refugees. Furthermore, humanitarian operations face bureaucratic obstacles and pressure from local authorities.
External financing deficit
The lack of funding has already had dire consequences. For the first time in years, with the onset of cold weather, international food supplies were almost nonexistent: only about a million people received aid, down from 5.6 million the previous year. 305 food centers were closed, depriving 1.1 million children of vital support. 422 medical facilities also closed, cutting off access to healthcare for three million people.
In closing his remarks, Tom Fletcher made three key requests of the Security Council members: to uphold the humanitarian exception in Resolution 2615, insist on lifting restrictions on women aid workers and funding a global humanitarian plan to avoid further cuts to aid for the people of Afghanistan.
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