Over half of the population in Afghanistan – some 23 million people – urgently need support. More than 3.5 million children aged under five and over a million pregnant women are suffering from acute malnutrition. Many Afghans are returning home from Iran and Pakistan, which is making the situation even more difficult.

In this acute crisis, the German Government is providing a further 5.8 million euro from the budget of the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in addition to the funding it is already providing via the United Nations. This additional funding will go to the World Food Programme, other UN organisations and humanitarian NGOs and will bypass the de facto Taliban government. In this way, the German Government is helping to support people in need in Afghanistan.

The additional funding will be used to provide food and to maintain life-saving basic healthcare. The main target group is returning Afghans and people in the border regions who are particularly badly hit by the difficult supply situation. The support will focus on women and children.

The German Government remains committed to improving the catastrophic situation in Afghanistan. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the de facto Taliban government to create conditions so that the people in Afghanistan have enough to eat and access to basic necessities. Above all, the de facto Taliban government must cease restrictions on women’s freedom of movement and work, refrain from attempting to influence the needs-based distribution of humanitarian assistance and ensure that all people in need receive access to life-saving assistance.