KABUL, Afghanistan, 16 Dec. - (ANA)  – Over 17 million Afghans are facing acute food insecurity this winter, as the scale and severity of hunger and malnutrition deepens, warns the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). New food security figures from the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report for Afghanistan indicate that three million more women, men, and children face acute hunger or worse (IPC3+) compared to the 14.8 million last year.

 

Child malnutrition too is projected to rise, affecting nearly four million children in the coming year. With child malnutrition already at its highest level in decades, and unprecedented reductions in funding for agencies providing essential services, access to treatment is increasingly scarce. Left untreated, malnutrition in children is life-threatening with child deaths likely to rise during the harsh winter months when food is scarcest. All key indicators point to a brutal winter season ahead for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable families.

 

“WFP has been warning for months about the clear signs of a deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and the latest data confirms our worst fears,” said John Aylieff, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan. “Our teams are seeing families skipping meals for days on end and taking extreme measures to survive.  Child deaths are rising, and they risk becoming worse in the months ahead.”

 

Afghanistan is bracing for a harsh and unforgiving winter as multiple crises converge. Drought has affected half the country and destroyed crops. Job losses and a weakened economy have eroded incomes and livelihoods. Recent earthquakes have left families homeless, pushing humanitarian needs to new extremes.

 

Forced returns from Pakistan and Iran are further compounding needs, with 2.5 million Afghans sent back to Afghanistan since the beginning of the year, many arriving malnourished and destitute. Nearly as many more are expected to return in 2026.

 

While the crisis deepens, humanitarian aid for Afghanistan is shrinking, leaving millions without the support that has historically curbed severe hunger and malnutrition.

 

“We need to bring Afghanistan’s crisis back into the headlines to give the most vulnerable Afghans the attention they deserve,” added Aylieff. “We must stand with the people of Afghanistan who depend on critical support to survive, and deploy proven solutions towards a recovery with hope, dignity and prosperity.”

 

For the first time in decades, WFP cannot launch a significant winter response, while also scaling up emergency and nutrition support nationwide. With immediate funding, WFP is ready to mount a large-scale winter response—ensuring families can push back hunger and escape falling deeper into crisis.

 

WFP urgently requires US$468 million to deliver life-saving food assistance to six million of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable people—helping them survive the harsh winter.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/16 December 2025 - - -