UN warns of rising child deaths in Afghanistan as food aid cuts take hold

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that child malnutrition has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan’s provinces and is likely to worsen as funding shortfalls force cuts in food distributions and other support. In a statement on Tuesday, WFP country director John Aylieff said action is needed now to stem the rise in child deaths, noting that “it is already too late for too many.”

Afghanistan continues to recover from decades of conflict and upheaval, including the chaotic withdrawal of US forces in 2021 as the Taliban took power. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated amid a combination of conflict, unemployment, rising food prices, disease outbreaks, poor water and sanitation, and reduced humanitarian funding.

Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Afghanistan, said nutrition specialists report that wasting among children has worsened this year in over three-quarters of the country. Children suffering from wasting are acutely malnourished, become very thin for their height, and need immediate therapeutic feeding. “Too many children arrive at health facilities severely malnourished,” she told reporters by video from Afghanistan, adding that others never make it.

WFP said 142 health centres closed in 2025 because of aid reductions, and more than 13,000 children lost access to nutrition treatment. The agency projects that nearly 3.7 million Afghan children will suffer from acute malnutrition this year, along with 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women. It noted that 12 provinces have reached critical levels of acute child malnutrition, a record number.

Deliveries of nutrition products have also been disrupted by conflict in West Asia and the nine-month closure of Pakistan’s border because of fighting between the neighbouring countries. WFP said this has left nearly one million malnourished women and children without essential nutrition services for five months.

From August through October, WFP said food distributions aimed at preventing famine in the worst-hit areas are being suspended due to lack of funding, even though the annual peak season for malnutrition is between July and October. The agency said it urgently needs $540 million over the next six months.

Humanitarian groups in Afghanistan are grappling with steep funding cuts. In February, Mr. Aylieff told The Associated Press that the cuts had been “devastating” and were forcing the agency to turn away three out of four acutely malnourished children. Funding for food assistance has dropped sharply — by about 59% since 2022 — even as needs have surged, according to a recent WFP report.

In June, the United States pledged $800 million to WFP, which said it will help more than 38 million people in at least 37 countries. However, Ms. Cherevko said the larger $1.71 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan is just over 26% funded, which is “alarming,” especially since malnutrition and other indicators are worsening.

The WFP’s appeal underscores the severity of the crisis. Mr. Aylieff reiterated that without immediate support, the agency will be unable to reach the most vulnerable, and the number of child deaths is likely to rise. He called on the international community to act without delay to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.