Spain has contributed $1.1 million to support humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In a statement shared on X, OCHA said the funds have been allocated to the United Nations’ Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. The contribution will be used to assist those in need throughout 2023, as the country continues to face a deepening humanitarian crisis.
“Consistent support from the international community is essential to save lives in Afghanistan,” OCHA said in its statement.
Humanitarian needs soar amid worsening crisis
OCHA estimates that in the coming year, 22.9 million people—more than half of Afghanistan’s population—will require humanitarian aid to survive. Acute food insecurity, combined with limited access to clean water, health services, and sanitation, has significantly worsened the rates of malnutrition across the country.
The agency reported that 3.5 million children under the age of five, along with 1.1 million women, will need urgent nutritional treatment in 2024.
The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by Afghanistan’s collapsing economy, which has contracted by one-third since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. High unemployment, widespread poverty, rising debt, and severe budgetary constraints have pushed many Afghan families to the brink.
OCHA emphasized that the combined effects of economic decline and limited international funding have created dire conditions, making sustained global support critical to addressing the nation’s mounting challenges.
