UN OCHA warns funding shortfall threatens nutrition aid for 5.7 million Afghans

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that a funding shortfall in 2026 could jeopardise nutrition programmes serving about 5.7 million children and mothers across Afghanistan. OCHA says millions of vulnerable Afghans may lose access to essential health and nutrition services unless urgent funding is secured, and that existing financial constraints are already limiting partners’ ability to meet rising needs. The warning comes amid one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, driven by poverty, food insecurity, weak public services and limited healthcare access after years of conflict and economic disruption. Reduced funding could force aid agencies to cut the scale or coverage of treatment for malnourished children, maternal nutrition support and other health services, especially in remote, underserved areas, raising the risk of preventable illness and death.