RASC News Agency: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that the “Humanitarian Needs and Response Program for Afghanistan” is experiencing a severe funding shortfall this year. According to a message released by OCHA on Monday, July 1, the program has only secured $696 million, representing just 22.8% of its initial funding request.
OCHA previously indicated that in 2024, 23.7 million people in Afghanistan would require humanitarian aid, with priority given to assisting 17 million of them. At that time, the organization stated that $3.06 billion would be needed to address the needs of the vulnerable population in Afghanistan. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that the budget shortfall has led to the suspension of critical life-saving programs and that additional activities are at risk without immediate financial support.
In mid-June, OCHA also announced that only 20.1% of the requested budget for aid to the Afghanistani people had been received, highlighting the severe funding crisis. The organization has called on donor countries to provide predictable, early, unrestricted, and multi-year funding to effectively respond to the needs of the Afghanistani population.
Since the Taliban took control of the country, a reduction in humanitarian aid, coupled with rising unemployment and poverty, has significantly increased the number of Afghanistani citizens in need of humanitarian assistance.
