Japan has donated $3 million to support humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, the United Nations Humanitarian Fund for Afghanistan said.
In a post on X, the fund said the contribution would be used to expand essential health and psychosocial support for people affected by natural disasters, particularly vulnerable communities.
The fund said the assistance is expected to reach about 210,000 people, with a focus on women and girls, across five provinces.
The donation comes as aid agencies warn of deepening food insecurity in Afghanistan. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said 4.7 million people in the country are facing hunger, with assessments in several affected areas highlighting what it described as the “depth of the food crisis”.
The ICRC has said around 17 million people nationwide are in urgent need of humanitarian food assistance and that it has expanded emergency food support in the provinces of Bamyan, Kunar and Herat.
According to the ICRC, an assessment found that 95% of respondents had a poor food consumption score, indicating inadequate access to daily food. The organisation said 95% reported using severe coping strategies, including borrowing money and delaying medical care. It also said 93% of infants under six months and 84% of children under two were being breastfed.
The ICRC warned that the figures reflect a grim outlook, with an estimated 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women expected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2026.
