Over 9 mn people in Afghanistan risk losing access to healthcare and support services due to reductions in international financial aid, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The funding cuts are expected to suspend hundreds of mobile medical teams and disrupt essential programs, particularly in remote areas where these teams provide critical care.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) highlighted climate change as a major factor driving displacement and the rising need for aid. IOM’s Afghanistan head, Mihyung Park, called for continued international support to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy acknowledged a decline in UN agency activities and urged that humanitarian aid remain independent of politics, emphasizing its importance in healthcare infrastructure, disease prevention, and maternal and child care.
These funding reductions come at a time when returnees from neighboring countries and victims of natural disastersrequire urgent humanitarian assistance. The situation raises concerns over the ability of aid organizations to sustain essential medical services for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable communities.
