Afghanistan Peace CampaignBy Fidel Rahmati
Khaama Press
The United Nations said Afghanistan is facing a triple crisis driven by drought, returning migrants and funding shortfalls, worsening food insecurity and limiting access to health and basic services.
Afghanistan is facing a convergence of three major crises, drought, mass migrant returns and shrinking global aid, that are pushing millions toward severe hardship, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official has warned.
Andrika Ratwatte, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, said prolonged drought has hit around 70% of Afghans who depend on agriculture, sharply undermining food security across the country.
He said the return of about 2.5 million migrants from Iran and Pakistan, combined with a wider global funding crunch, has further strained already fragile communities and aid operations.
Afghanistan remains heavily dependent on international assistance after decades of conflict and economic collapse, with humanitarian agencies struggling to maintain basic services amid falling donor contributions.
Restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment have also weakened household resilience, limiting families’ ability to cope with economic shocks and rising food prices.
Ratwatte said only 37% of the UN’s humanitarian funding appeal for Afghanistan has been met, forcing the closure of 400 health facilities and 300 nutrition centres nationwide.
Those closures have cut off healthcare for more than three million people and nutrition support for at least 80,000 children, breastfeeding mothers and other vulnerable groups, he said.
The UN official stressed that programmes covering health, education, social protection and livelihoods are “life-saving” and must be preserved or expanded, particularly for women and girls who make up half the population.
In a separate assessment, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Afghanistan will remain among the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026, citing food insecurity, climate shocks, migrant returns and systemic exclusion of women.
UN agencies estimate that 21.9 million Afghans, about 45% of the population, will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, warning that without urgent funding increases, conditions could deteriorate further.