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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, on Thursday discussed ongoing UN development system reforms and cooperation on Pakistan&rsquo;s sustainable development priorities during a meeting with&nbsp;United Nations Development Programme&nbsp;(UNDP) Resident Representative for Pakistan, Sam Rizk. In a post on X, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN said the two sides exchanged views on priority issues related to UNDP&#39;s engagement in Pakistan. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2055101574100242836&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ff8b4648ceee6919d087406d038750c403ea2c13&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div> During the courtesy call, discussions also focused on &quot;ongoing UN development system reforms, and avenues for continued cooperation in support of Pakistan&rsquo;s sustainable development priorities&quot;, the post said. Rizk was accompanied by Doina Munteanu, Advisor for Countries in Crisis and Complex Situations.

Foreign Affairs

In a post on X, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN says the two sides have exchanged views on priority issues related to UNDP's engagement in Pakistan, focusing on 'ongoing UN development system reforms, and avenues for continued cooperation in support of Pakistan’s sustainable development priorities.'

Pakistan ambassador, UNDP representative discuss development priorities, UN reform agenda

ROME: The UN said Wednesday it was cutting emergency food assistance to Syria by 50% and halting a bread subsidy program&nbsp;that had supported millions because of funding shortfalls. The World Food Programme, the UN&#39;s Rome-based food aid agency, said in a statement it was reducing the number of people covered by emergency aid from 1.3 million to 650,000. The agency said Syria has stabilized since the end of the civil war, but there are still 7.2 million people suffering acute food insecurity. As part of its operations, WFP said it had supported more than 300 bakeries with fortified wheat flour. &quot;The bread subsidy program has been a vital lifeline, keeping this staple food affordable,&quot; the organization said. &quot;The reduction in WFP&rsquo;s assistance is driven solely by funding constraints, not by a decrease in needs,&quot; said Marianne Ward, WFP director in Syria. &quot;This is a critical moment for Syria. Recovery remains fragile, needs are still severe, and we are being forced to withdraw a vital safety net.&quot; The organization said funding shortfalls were also affecting Syrian refugees in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon. &ldquo;Across the region, vulnerable families are facing the cumulative effects of prolonged crises, rising costs, and shrinking assistance,&rdquo; said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP regional director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. The agency said it needed $189 million over the next six months to sustain and restore assistance in Syria.

A food distribution in Aleppo - since the escalation of conflict on 27 November, WFP has distributed 50,000 hot meals. Photo: WFP/Emad Etaki

Middle East

The agency said Syria has stabilized since the end of the civil war, but there are still 7.2 million people suffering acute food insecurity.

UN cuts emergency food aid to Syria by 50%

Geneva: The United Nations on Wednesday called on Israel to immediately release two activists taken from a Gaza-bound flotilla, and demanded an investigation into &quot;disturbing accounts&quot; they had been severely mistreated. Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila, who are held in a prison in Ashkelon, were among dozens of activists on a Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Greece last Thursday. &quot;Israel must immediately and unconditionally release Global Sumud Flotilla members Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, who were detained in international waters and brought to Israel where they continue to be held without charge,&quot; UN rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement. &quot;It is not a crime to show solidarity and attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, who are in dire need of it,&quot; he insisted. The flotilla&#39;s vessels set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking Israel&#39;s blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. Representatives for Avila and Abu Keshek have accused Israeli authorities of abusing the two men, who have been on hunger strike for the past six days. Kheetan decried the &quot;disturbing accounts of severe mistreatment&quot;, calling for an investigation and insisting &quot;those responsible must be brought to justice&quot;. &quot;We call for an end to Israel&#39;s use of arbitrary detention and of broadly and vaguely defined terrorism legislation, inconsistent with international human rights law,&quot; he said. &quot;Israel must also end its blockade on Gaza, and allow and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinian strip, in sufficient amounts,&quot; the spokesman said.

The UN urged Israel to release two Gaza flotilla activists held without charge, investigate alleged mistreatment, end arbitrary detention practices and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

UN demands Israel 'immediately' release Gaza flotilla activists

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan strongly rebuffed accusations from the Indian delegation during a high‑level World Water Day event on Thursday, accusing New Delhi of undermining the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and &ldquo;weaponizing&rdquo; shared water resources for political ends. In <a data-fr-linked="true" href="//ends.In" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></a>a right of reply delivered by Pakistan&rsquo;s Second Secretary Aleena Majeed, Pakistan rejected what it called &ldquo;baseless remarks&rdquo; by the Indian representative, insisting that t<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">he unilateral holding in abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty by India last year in April represents a grave departure from this legal and historical legacy.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2034806586120491506&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=bdeac2634829093058198481ac2e302d4e64ceb3&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 720px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>She stated that concluded in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty has withstood the test of times, wars crises, and political tensions, between India and Pakistan, including the longstanding dispute on Jammu and Kashmir.&nbsp; Majeed told the assembly that no provision in the treaty permits unilateral suspension or modification, and labelled India&rsquo;s move to place the pact in abeyance last year as a &ldquo;grave departure&rdquo; from its legal and historical legacy. She pointed to recent findings by a Court of Arbitration no party has the legal authority to unilaterally suspend or render it inoperative. India must revert immediately to full and complete implementation of the IWT. She also strongly rejected entirely baseless statement and accusations by the Indian representative on the issue of terrorism.&nbsp; She said that India&rsquo;s attempts to deflect attention through unfounded allegations of terrorism cannot conceal its record of sponsorship of terrorism across its borders, perpetration of state terrorism in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, global state-backed assassination campaign including in North America, and state patronage of violence against its minorities. There is credible evidence of India&rsquo;s sponsorship of terrorist groups, including the TTP, Fitna Al Khwarij, and BLA, Fitna Hindustan, which have carried out attacks in Pakistan, resulting in loss of lives of thousands of Pakistanis. She added that Pakistan reiterate its firm and unequivocal rejection of all attempts to weaponize water and to use it for political gains. Pakistan remains firmly committed to international law and to the faithful performance of treaty obligations, she said.&nbsp;

Aleena Majeed Second Secretary (Photo: X PakistanUN_NY)

India

Pakistan’s Second Secretary Aleena Majeed condemned India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty at the UN, accusing it of “weaponizing water” and rejecting its terrorism allegations.

Pakistan condemns India’s ‘weaponization of water’, defends Indus Waters Treaty at UN

Vienna: The United Nations&#39; nuclear agency will hold an extraordinary meeting on Iran on Monday in the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic, aimed in part at Tehran&#39;s atomic programme. In a statement late on Saturday, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the meeting was at the request of Russia, a key ally of Tehran. Iran had made the same request in a letter to IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on Saturday following the strikes, which led to the death of Iran&#39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As a result, the agency will hold a &quot;special session of the IAEA Board of Governors on matters related to military strikes of the United States and Israel against the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran&quot;, the IAEA said in a statement. That extraordinary meeting will precede an already scheduled session of the board, which represents 35 countries. Following the strikes, the &nbsp;IAEA said it was &quot;closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, and urges restraint to avoid any nuclear safety risks to people in the region&quot;. The UN nuclear watchdog had also stressed on Friday the &quot;utmost urgency&quot; of its request to verify all nuclear material in Iran, according to a confidential report seen by AFP. Western countries led by the United States and Israel, Iran&#39;s arch-enemy, accuse the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran denies having such military ambitions, but insists on its right to this technology for civilian purposes.

IAEA will convene an extraordinary Board of Governors meeting Monday, requested by Russia and Iran, after US-Israeli strikes on Iran, The agency urged restraint and reiterated urgency to verify Iran’s nuclear material.

UN nuclear agency to hold extraordinary meeting on Iran Monday

ROME: The number of people in Somalia experiencing crisis-levels of food insecurity has nearly doubled in the past year to 6.5 million people, UN-backed experts warned Tuesday.&nbsp;The Horn of Africa country has been plagued by conflict and suffered two consecutive failed rainy seasons, as well as a drop in the amount of food aid available amid international funding cuts.&nbsp;The population classified as being in a &quot;crisis or worse&quot; situation &quot;has nearly doubled between February&ndash;March 2026 to a staggering 6.5 million people since early 2025&quot;, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a UN-backed group that monitors hunger and malnutrition.&nbsp;That includes more than two million people now in Phase 4, the &quot;emergency&quot; category, one step away from the &quot;catastrophic&quot; level, equal to famine, an IPC report said.&nbsp;An estimated 1.84 million children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition in 2026, including 483,000 severe cases that require urgent treatment, the IPC said.&nbsp;&quot;This alarming deterioration is driven by worsening drought, rising food  prices, and insecurity across central, southern, and parts of northern Somalia,&quot; the report added.&nbsp;&quot;The situation is compounded by declining humanitarian assistance.&quot;&nbsp;The UN&#39;s World Food Programme (WFP) warned Friday it would have to stop humanitarian assistance in Somalia by April if it did not receive new funding.&nbsp;The Rome-based agency said it had already been forced to reduce the number of people receiving emergency food assistance from 2.2 million in early 2025 to just over 600,000 today.&nbsp;In January, the United States suspended aid to Somalia following the destruction of a US-funded WFP warehouse in the capital Mogadishu&#39;s port.&nbsp;The US announced a resumption of WFP food distribution on January 29.&nbsp;However, all UN agencies have warned of serious funding shortfalls since Washington began slashing aid following President Donald Trump&#39;s re-election last year.&nbsp;Levels of acute malnutrition in Somalia have risen for two consecutive years, the IPC report said.&nbsp;Rainfall from April to June is likely to be near normal in most areas and above-normal in some, but &quot;this will likely lead to only a modest improvement in overall food security&quot;.

Africa

Somalia faces worsening hunger, with 6.5 million people in crisis-level food insecurity, including two million in emergency conditions. Drought, conflict, rising prices, and aid cuts impacting agencies like World Food Program have sharply reduced humanitarian assistance despite slight rainfall improvements.

Crisis-level hunger doubles in Somalia: UN-backed experts

PARIS: Over a hundred top figures from the world of entertainment signed an open letter Saturday in support of UN Palestinian human rights expert Francesca Albanese, who faces calls to resign over comments about the war in Gaza.&nbsp;France and Germany have called for Albanese to step down over remarks last weekend in which she referred to a &quot;common enemy of humanity&quot; after criticizing &quot;most of the world&quot; and the media for enabling Israel&#39;s &quot;genocide&quot; in Gaza.&nbsp;Critics and Israel have accused the UN Special Rapporteur of referring to Israel as a &quot;common enemy&quot;, while Albanese has denounced this as a &quot;manipulation&quot; and &quot;completely false&quot;.&nbsp;In a letter organised by the Artists for Palestine group and shared with AFP, over 100 cultural figures backed her, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel-winning author Annie Ernaux and British musician Annie Lennox.&nbsp;The signatories &quot;offer our full support to Francesca Albanese, a defender of human rights and therefore also of the Palestinian people&#39;s right to exist,&quot; the letter says.&nbsp;&quot;There are infinitely more of us, in every corner of the Earth, who want force no longer to be the law. Who knows what the word &#39;law&#39; truly means,&quot; it concludes.&nbsp;Published in French on the website of Artists for Palestine, it also reproduces the full remarks by Albanese who was speaking via videoconference at a forum last Saturday organised by the Al Jazeera TV network.&nbsp;Other celebrities to offer support for her include actresses Rosa Salazar and Asia Argento, Oscar-nominated film directors Yorgos Lanthimos and Kaouther Ben Hania, Latin music star Residente, and photographer Nan Goldin.&nbsp;A group of French MPs sent a letter to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday denouncing Albanese&#39;s remarks as &quot;antisemitic&quot;.&nbsp;Barrot called for her to step down a day later, saying that France &quot;unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks&quot;.&nbsp;German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday said her position was &quot;untenable&quot;.&nbsp;&#39;Shame of our time&#39;Albanese is one of the most outspoken critics of Israel&#39;s more-than-two-year bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 people and the destruction of most of the territory&#39;s infrastructure. She has called it &quot;the shame of our time&quot; and says she always asks prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers the same question: &quot;How do you sleep? When will you act?&quot; The Italian-born legal expert, who began her unpaid role in 2022, was targeted with sanctions by the Trump administration in July last year over what it called her &quot;biased and malicious&quot; work.&nbsp;&nbsp;UN special rapporteurs like Albanese are independent experts who are appointed by the UN rights council, but do not speak on behalf of the United Nations.&nbsp;UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres distanced himself from Albanese on Thursday when his spokesman said &quot;we don&rsquo;t agree with much of what she says.&quot; &quot;We wouldn&rsquo;t use the language that she&rsquo;s using in describing the situation,&quot; his spokesman Stephane Dujarric added.&nbsp;The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas&#39;s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people. On that day, militants abducted 251 people into Gaza.

United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese looks on at the end of a press conference on the human rights situation in Gaza in Geneva on September 15, 2025. (Photo: AFP/File)

Europe

In a letter organised by the Artists for Palestine group and shared with AFP, over a 100 cultural figures back her, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel-winning author Annie Ernaux and British musician Annie Lennox.

Top entertainment figures back under-fire UN Palestinians expert 

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented the killing of 14 former Afghan government forces in the final three months of 2025, according to its latest human rights report released on Sunday. The report details alarming patterns of violence against former officials and security personnel despite the Taliban&#39;s announced &quot;general amnesty&quot; for members of the previous government.&nbsp; Between October and December 2025, UNAMA recorded 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, along with at least seven instances of torture and ill-treatment targeting former government personnel. According to UNAMA, some of those targeted had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan. The UN mission urged the de facto authorities to take concrete steps to protect their lives and rights. The report also highlighted broader human rights concerns, including severe restrictions on women&#39;s work and movement, executions and floggings, and disruptions to internet and telecommunications services. President Zardari warns of pre-9/11 conditions in AfghanistanThe findings come amid growing regional and international concern over the situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.&nbsp; In a statement released Sunday,&nbsp;Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari issued a stark warning that conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule have become similar to or worse than the period before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.&nbsp; He criticized the Taliban regime for creating an environment where terrorist organizations can operate and pose threats to regional and global peace. Economic crisis deepens under Taliban regimeThe UN Development Program reports that Afghanistan&#39;s economy contracted by 27% following the Taliban takeover and remains at an unstable, low-level equilibrium. <span style='color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Google Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;'>Over 10 million Afghans remain displaced globally, including both refugees in neighboring countries and those internally displaced in Afghanistan due to ongoing conflict, poverty, and hunger. The Taliban&#39;s restrictions on women&#39;s education and employment have significantly exacerbated the crisis. Girls remain banned from secondary education, entering their fifth year of restrictions, and women&#39;s employment in the public sector remains low. The UNDP estimates that excluding women from the economy could cost Afghanistan 5.8% of its GDP between 2024 and 2026. Afghanistan&#39;s humanitarian needs are growing while international assistance is declining sharply. After reaching $3.8 billion in 2022, aid fell dramatically in 2024, with only 31% of the required $3 billion secured by October. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization warns that 17.4 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity in 2026, with 4.7 million affected by acute malnutrition. The Taliban have previously rejected allegations of systematic abuses, insisting that their amnesty policy remains in force. However, UN officials and rights groups say the latest figures point to a persistent gap between official statements and realities on the ground.

Afghanistan

The report flags persistent rights abuses in Afghanistan, citing detentions, torture, and social restrictions, as economic contraction, mass displacement, and shrinking aid worsen humanitarian conditions nationwide.

UN reports killing of 14 former Afghan personnel despite Taliban amnesty

ISLAMABAD: United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo concluded a high-level visit to Kabul on Sunday, where she pressed the Taliban to lift restrictions on women&rsquo;s access to education, employment, and public life, according to a United Nations statement. During talks with senior Taliban officials, DiCarlo raised deep concerns over the increasingly severe limits placed on women&rsquo;s roles, including restrictions affecting female UN staff and broader societal bans on women&rsquo;s participation in public life. She urged the authorities to immediately rescind these measures to improve the humanitarian and human rights situation in the country.&nbsp; DiCarlo praised the vital role Afghan women working for the United Nations play in supporting humanitarian and development efforts across the country.&nbsp; According to the UN statement, she also met separately with Afghan women and civil society representatives to discuss the human rights situation in Afghanistan, underscoring the UN&#39;s concern over the status of women and girls in the country. The meetings come as Afghanistan remains under Taliban rule, with girls banned from attending school beyond the sixth grade and severe restrictions on women&#39;s employment and movement. Afghanistan remains heavily dependent on humanitarian assistance amid economic isolation, banking restrictions, and widespread poverty, with UN agencies warning of prolonged vulnerability for millions. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 21.9 million people (roughly 45% of the population) will require assistance in 2026. Doha process meetingIn a separate development during the visit, Taliban officials said DiCarlo and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani discussed continued engagement on the UN-led Doha Process, a diplomatic framework aimed at easing Afghanistan&rsquo;s political, security, and humanitarian crises.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2015276343949459966&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=be69938480a04f03355573a307aee5882e3a6c03&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2015276343949459966"></iframe></div></div> According to the Taliban&rsquo;s Ministry of Interior, the talks covered international engagement, counter-narcotics cooperation, economic stability, and private-sector restrictions, as well as the effectiveness of UN humanitarian assistance, Bakhtar News Agency reported on Saturday. The Taliban statement said that DiCarlo announced that the next round of Doha Process working group meetings will be held in Kabul. The United Nations has not formally confirmed the location of the next working group sessions, which have previously been held in Qatar&#39;s capital.

Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo concluded her visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, on 25 January. (Photo/United Nations)

United Nations Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo discusses humanitarian access, economic conditions, and continued political engagement, while Taliban authorities said Kabul would host the next Doha process working group meeting.

UN envoy presses Taliban on women’s rights during Kabul visit

ISLAMABAD: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said on Tuesday it is expanding emergency food assistance in Afghanistan after a new assessment revealed the severity of the country&#39;s hunger crisis, warning that 4.7 million people now face acute starvation amid shrinking aid and worsening food insecurity. In a press release, the IRC announced a Cash for Food programme providing support to 3,200 households in Bamiyan, Kunar, and Herat provinces, following needs assessments that found that 95% of participants had &#39;poor&#39; Food Consumption Scores, indicating insufficient daily access to food. The New York-based agency said the findings reflect a broader deterioration in food access as Afghanistan enters the winter lean season, when household food stocks are depleted, and income opportunities decline. Deepening hunger and food insecurityRecent United Nations analyses show that about 17 million Afghans now urgently need food assistance, including 4.7 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), with mothers and young children among the most affected.&nbsp; Under the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, more than one-third of the population is expected to face crisis-level or worse food insecurity during the 2025-26 lean season, with many households forced to sell assets or reduce meals to meet basic needs. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that humanitarian needs continue to outpace available assistance. In 2026, an estimated 21.9 million people, about 45% of Afghanistan&rsquo;s population, will require humanitarian aid, it said. Impact on children and womenUN agencies have repeatedly cautioned that Afghanistan is facing one of the world&rsquo;s most severe nutrition emergencies, particularly among children. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that nearly 3.7 million children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2025 and into early 2026, while 4.9 million women and children will require treatment for malnutrition. The agency said declining funding and high food prices have limited the scale of life-saving assistance. UNICEF reported that millions of children were screened for wasting in the first half of 2025, with hundreds of thousands admitted for treatment. The spread of preventable diseases such as measles and acute watery diarrhoea has further strained health services already operating under severe constraints. UN appeals and funding shortfallsThe humanitarian response faces severe funding constraints; 422 health facilities closed in 2025, leaving about three million people without access to essential healthcare, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher told the UN Security Council last month. At the end of 2025, the United Nations and its partners launched a $1.7 billion appeal to assist nearly 18 million people in urgent need through 2026, identifying food security, health, water, and sanitation as priority areas. The crisis has been compounded by multiple factors. OCHA says the ongoing drought has caused the failure of nearly 80% of rain-fed wheat crops in some regions, leaving many families without winter food reserves. Meanwhile, UNHCR data shows more than 2.6 million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, adding strain to already impoverished communities. Aid agencies say funding shortfalls have forced cuts to critical programmes, including emergency food distributions and nutrition services.&nbsp;Lisa Owen, IRC&rsquo;s Afghanistan director, warned of severe consequences if funding declines continue. &ldquo;Acute hunger is a persistent challenge in Afghanistan, yet the latest figures show an appalling deterioration in humanitarian needs,&rdquo; she said. Humanitarian groups say the IRC&rsquo;s expanded food assistance highlights the urgency of closing funding gaps and scaling up life-saving aid.&nbsp; Without increased international support, Afghanistan&rsquo;s hunger and malnutrition crisis is expected to worsen in 2026, leaving millions at risk as winter conditions persist.

UNICEF/Munir Tanweer: Food rations for vulnerable families in Afghanistan are to be cut by the World Food Programme.

The International Rescue Committee has expanded emergency food assistance in Afghanistan after assessments showed worsening hunger. UN agencies say 4.7 million people face emergency food insecurity as funding gaps threaten life-saving humanitarian programs.

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