KABUL — Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), during his new visit to Kabul said that global inaction on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis is having devastating consequences and that there shouldn’t be any further aid cut for the country.
He said that more than 22 million people in the country remain in need of humanitarian assistance.
He criticized Western nations for abandoning Afghanistan’s civilian population, despite having spent trillions of dollars during NATO and U.S. military operations.
“Those who spent trillions here during NATO and American military operations are now turning their backs on a civilian population that we can still help,” Egeland said in a video statement. “We cannot and must not cut aid more. We must increase our support to the girls of Afghanistan.”
Egeland also condemned Pakistan and Iran’s mass deportation of Afghan refugees, saying the forced returns are exacerbating Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has previously estimated that in 2025, at least 22.9 million Afghans will require humanitarian aid.
Additionally, Taliban interference in relief efforts has led to the suspension of 56 humanitarian projects, according to OCHA.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that women in Afghanistan face some of the worst levels of food insecurity, with funding shortages disproportionately affecting female-headed households.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, aid organizations continue to struggle with access restrictions, dwindling financial support, and growing international indifference.
