UNITED NATIONS, June 9, 2026 – Senior UN officials on Monday warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, citing chronic underfunding of aid efforts, a worsening hunger crisis, and escalating restrictions on women and girls. The warning came during a briefing at UN headquarters in New York.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the 2026 Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan, which requires $3.2 billion, is only 25% funded as of June 2026. This shortfall has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to cut food rations for millions of Afghans, with 15 million people facing acute food insecurity, including 3 million children at risk of malnutrition.
UN Women reported that since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, decrees have banned girls from secondary education and women from most public sector employment, with further restrictions on movement and access to health care. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented a 40% increase in gender-based violence cases in 2025 compared to the previous year.
“We are witnessing a catastrophic convergence of needs and underfunding,” said Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. “Without immediate additional funding, we will be forced to make impossible choices about who to help.” The UN has appealed for $1.2 billion in urgent funding to prevent famine and support women's protection programs through the end of 2026.
