Afghanistan Faces Severe Humanitarian Crisis in 2024 Amid Massive Funding Gap

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) reports that Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis in 2024, with 23.7 million people in need of aid. This staggering figure comes amid a $3.6 billion funding gap, following assistance provided to 26.3 million Afghans in 2024.

According to the UN OCHA, out of the requested $3.6 billion budget to assist 17.3 million vulnerable individuals, only $238 million has been received, resulting in a severe financial shortfall. The report cautions that without urgent and sustained donor assistance, vulnerable populations, especially women, children, and the elderly, will face potentially severe consequences.

Why this matters: The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has far-reaching implications for regional stability and global security. The international community's response to this crisis will be a test of its commitment to supporting the Afghan people during this critical time.

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has established the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF) to provide initial humanitarian aid and then prioritize development and self-reliance. In 2024, the AHTF signed 14 projects worth $35.35 million, with $24.14 million from AHTF contributions and $12.21 million from implementing partners. The initiatives have created job and capacity building opportunities for the people of Afghanistan. As of March 2024, pledges to the fund totaled almost $35 million, with more funding expected.

The United States has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan and has recommended that the Taliban immediately reverse discriminatory edicts, ensure investigations and prosecutions of gender-based violence, cease restrictions on press freedom, release activists detained for exercising free expression, end inhumane treatment of LGBTQI+ persons, and disallow coerced confessions in Afghan courts. The U.S. is willing to progress towards greater engagement with the Taliban, despite its human rights concerns, in order to help the Afghan people.

Save the Children has been supporting communities and protecting children's rights in Afghanistan since 1976 and has been scaling up its response since August 2021 to support the increasing number of children in need. A plane carrying 92 tonnes of vital medicines has arrived in Afghanistan to treat about 675,000 people, including children with life-threatening but preventable illnesses like respiratory infections and measles. "Over the past 3 months, Save the Children's mobile health teams treated nearly 69,000 cases of acute respiratory infections in children under 5, and more than 1,000 children under 5 have died from pneumonia," the organization reported.

The UN OCHA emphasizes that in 2023, humanitarian assistance was provided to approximately 26.3 million individuals in Afghanistan, including support for food, livelihood, health care, nutrition, protection, education, and emergency shelter. However, the country experienced unexpectedly warm winter conditions in early 2024, despite earlier predictions of favorable weather due to El Niño conditions. As the humanitarian situation persists, the international community faces the challenge of delivering aid effectively while navigating the complex political landscape and restrictions imposed by the Taliban-led government.

Key Takeaways

• Afghanistan faces a severe humanitarian crisis in 2024 with 23.7M in need of aid.
• $3.6B funding gap despite $238M received for assisting 17.3M vulnerable individuals.
• Islamic Development Bank's Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund has $35M in pledges.
• US willing to engage Taliban to help Afghans despite human rights concerns.
• Save the Children delivered 92 tons of medicines to treat 675K, including 69K respiratory cases.