European Union contributes €16.5 million to WFP in Afghanistan to help vulnerable communities survive winter
Kabul – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a €16.5 million (US$17.4 million) contribution from the European Union for its activities in Afghanistan, made via its department of Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). The funding comes at a critical moment and will enable WFP to sustain and extend its general food assistance for vulnerable families and nutrition programmes for mothers and young children.
“Despite improvements of the food security situation, also due to effective humanitarian assistance, Afghanistan remains a global hunger hotspot with more than a quarter of the population going hungry”, said François Goemans, who oversees EU humanitarian aid operations in Afghanistan. “More than three quarters of all people in Afghanistan cannot afford a nutritious diet that covers their needs and keeps them from falling into malnutrition.”
Nearly 15 million people are estimated to be experiencing crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity this winter. WFP has already started distributing food to communities in remote areas that have almost been cut off by snow and ice, helping them prepare for the months of the year where hunger bites hardest in Afghanistan.
“A severe funding crisis has forced us to reduce WFP’s activities in Afghanistan. For almost half of 2024, we were only able to reach 1 million people with life-saving food assistance every month, leaving 11 million people with their needs unmet”, said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan. “This funding from the European Union is crucial to help us reach some of the most vulnerable families across the country this winter.”
This winter, WFP plans to assist a total of 6 million people every month with emergency food assistance across the country, thanks to funding from the European Union and other partners. Families will receive food or cash to buy food on local markets and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and their young children will receive specialized nutritious food to prevent or treat malnutrition.
This latest contribution from the European Union comes on top of previous contributions totaling €86.3 million (US$92.5 million) in the past two years towards WFP’s emergency programmes in Afghanistan and the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which WFP operates for the wider humanitarian community in Afghanistan.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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