Amid funding shortage, UN food agency reduces rations for 2 million Afghans
Sep 06, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], September 6 : Amid a shortage of funds, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has reduced rations for an additional two million Afghan people, reported Khaama Press on Tuesday.
Despite a budget reduction due to funding issues, the UN humanitarian response plan for the country is still just a quarter financed.
This month, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has decreased rations for an additional two million Afghans.
The country director of the agency has expressed alarm about an upcoming "catastrophic" winter if financing runs out, leaving rural villages with insufficient food supplies. The World Food Programme's food and cash aid funding is expected to run out by the end of October, Khaama Press reported.
As a result, the agency has gradually cut aid over the year, affecting the support provided to 10 million Afghans.
Taliban's limitations on women, which prohibit them from working with humanitarian organisations, impede legal recognition and discourage donations. As a result of these limits, many donors are transferring their attention to other issues.
Due to funding shortfall, WFP had earlier warned that the organization’s budget for food assistance would end by the end of October, according to Khaama Press.
Moreover, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report revealed in July this year that Afghanistan's most remote areas would be at risk from the significant financing gaps endangering crucial humanitarian aid.
Just 9 per cent of the USD 4.6 billion needed for Afghanistan’s initial Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) had been received as of June of this year.
Afghanistan, under the Taliban, is facing its worst humanitarian crisis and the women of the country are denied fundamental rights. According to a World Food Programme assessment, Afghanistan is one of the nations with extreme food insecurity, with nine million people affected by severe economic difficulties and hunger.
