Afghanistan is facing a “rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis” in 2025, the UN spokesman said, quoting a WFP report which cites a record spike in acute malnutrition and dwindling international support.
“Turning to Afghanistan,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York, “the World Food Programme warns that the country is facing a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in 2025. WFP pointed out that this year has seen the highest spike in acute malnutrition ever recorded, with more than 4.7 million women and children in need of urgent treatment.”
The agency attributed the surge to sharp reductions in food and nutrition assistance by international aid groups, compounded by a series of earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan that have left already struggling families even more vulnerable.
On the ground, WFP said it has been delivering fortified biscuits and other food items to families in Kunar Province, one of the hardest-hit areas, and has set up storage tents to support wider relief operations.
But the agency stressed that resources are falling far short of the scale of need. Afghanistan has more than nine million people — one in four — facing acute food insecurity, according to WFP. Yet with current funding, the agency can reach fewer than one million people each month, leaving even those in emergency-level hunger without consistent assistance.
WFP said it urgently requires $568 million to provide life-saving food aid to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable over the next six months, helping them endure the winter while sustaining other essential support programs.
The warning comes as donor fatigue has increasingly strained humanitarian operations. The United Nations has already scaled back several programs after major cuts in contributions from leading donors, including the United States, in 2024.
