KABUL, Afghanistan — Japan has donated $7 million to the United Nations World Food Program in response to the growing food crisis and widespread malnutrition in Afghanistan, the U.N. agency announced this week.
In a statement, the World Food Program said the funds will be used to support millions of Afghans affected by overlapping humanitarian and food emergencies. Over the next three months, the donation will provide assistance to 30,000 families — about 200,000 people — across the country.
The contribution comes as nearly one-third of Afghanistan’s population is in urgent need of food aid. Malnutrition has reached historic levels, with women and children among the most vulnerable, the agency said.
The W.F.P. plans to use the funding to deliver food assistance to families, particularly pregnant and lactating mothers and children suffering from malnutrition.
Japan’s ambassador in Kabul, Takayoshi Kuromiya, said the funds would help sustain one of the capital’s malnutrition clinics, which serves hundreds of Afghan mothers and their children.
“Seeing so many Afghan mothers and children suffering from malnutrition was heartbreaking,” Mr. Kuromiya said during a visit to the clinic. “But witnessing the tireless efforts of the World Food Program and its partners to deliver life-saving aid and improve nutrition and health outcomes was encouraging.”
Harald Mannhart, deputy country director for the W.F.P. in Afghanistan, echoed those concerns, noting that women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the country’s hunger crisis.
“Despite severe funding shortfalls, we are able to support Afghan women and children only thanks to the generosity of partners like the Government of Japan,” Mr. Mannhart said.
In addition to supporting families, the Japanese contribution will also fund daily school snacks for 30,000 children.
Since 2021, Japan has donated approximately $93 million to humanitarian and emergency food relief programs in Afghanistan. Following a powerful earthquake in western Afghanistan in October 2023, Japan also pledged $1 million in immediate aid.
