KABUL, Afghanistan — The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned Thursday that 3.5 million children under the age of five are malnourished in Afghanistan this year, with 1.5 million at risk of severe malnutrition and wasting.
In a statement posted on X, UNICEF said its operations in Afghanistan face a critical shortage of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) due to global funding cuts. The agency appealed for urgent support to sustain lifesaving nutrition programs.
“Immediate support is needed to save young lives,” UNICEF said.
The warning comes amid a broader humanitarian crisis. The United Nations estimates that nearly 23 million people in Afghanistan, including more than 12 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The crisis has been compounded by a significant reduction in international aid. The World Health Organization recently reported that many health centers it supports in Afghanistan have halted operations following a sharp cut in U.S. funding earlier this year.
Humanitarian organizations have warned that unless additional funds are mobilized quickly, the health and nutrition situation in Afghanistan — already one of the world’s worst — could deteriorate even further.
