The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that cuts to international aid and an impending freeze in U.S. foreign funding are leaving millions of Afghans facing hunger this winter as per Reuters. According to Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP’s Country Director in Afghanistan, the agency is now only able to support half of the 15mn Afghans in urgent need of food assistance.
Many people, Lee explained, are surviving on just “bread and tea.” She stated, “Unfortunately, this is what the situation looks like for so many who have been removed from assistance.”
Afghanistan’s economic crisis deepened following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, when international development and security aid were halted, and the banking sector was severely restricted. Since then, humanitarian aid, delivered through non-governmental organizations (NGOs), has helped meet urgent needs. However, international donors have gradually reduced their support due to concerns about Taliban-imposed restrictions on women, including their order to stop Afghan female NGO workers from working, and the pressure of competing global crises.
Lee, speaking shortly before her three-year term in Afghanistan ended, revealed that around 6mn people—half of those in acute need—were not receiving food rations during this harsh winter.
“That’s over 6mn people who are probably eating one or two meals a day and it’s just bread and tea,” Lee explained.
According to U.N. data, Afghanistan's humanitarian plan for 2024 is only about half-funded, with aid officials fearing further reductions in the coming months. The United States, which has historically been Afghanistan's largest donor, paused new aid after a review ordered by the U.S. State Department. The decision includes a "stop-work" order on existing foreign assistance, though it is unclear how it will affect ongoing humanitarian operations.
Lee expressed concern about any potential reduction in aid, noting the critical need for support, especially for women and children.
"The levels of need are just so high here in Afghanistan. I certainly hope that any decisions made, any implementation of decisions made take into consideration the needs of the people—the women, the children," Lee said.
Donors are also grappling with global emergencies, including crises in Sudan, Ukraine, and Gaza, as well as the Taliban's controversial restrictions on women. Recently, the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor applied for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders, including the group's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, for the alleged persecution of women and girls.
Despite these challenges, Lee praised WFP's efforts to adapt and ensure aid reaches women and children. While the Taliban has barred female NGO workers from employment, WFP and other humanitarian organizations have received exemptions in some sectors, including health, allowing them to continue delivering aid to vulnerable populations.
Lee stated that WFP was working to demonstrate to donors, who were concerned about the numerous restrictions on women, that they were still successfully providing aid to female beneficiaries and their children.
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