UN: More Than 19M People Face Acute Food Insecurity in Afghanistan

DID Press: United Nations has warned that more than 19 million people in Afghanistan are facing acute food insecurity, as declining humanitarian assistance and funding shortages increase the risk of worsening hunger and malnutrition across the country.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said around five million people in Afghanistan were expected to face emergency levels of hunger.

He added that the food crisis was worsening due to cuts in international assistance and a lack of funding to meet people’s basic needs.

According to Dujarric, approximately four million children and 1.3 million mothers in Afghanistan are at risk of malnutrition.

Meanwhile, nearly one-third of the country’s health facilities, including 815 centres providing malnutrition treatment, have closed because of financial difficulties.

The United Nations also said that some food assistance provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan had been suspended due to funding shortages, a development that could further worsen food insecurity for millions of people.