23.7 million people need humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan: UNICEF

As many as 23.7 million people including 12.3 million children in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance in 2024, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.

According to UNICEF, only 35 per cent of the required USD 1.4 billion in aid for children in Afghanistan has been secured. The UNICEF released its latest report on the humanitarian situation in the country in March.

The report has attributed the rise in poverty in Afghanistan to long-standing conflicts, climate change, economic recession, and rising unemployment, Khaama Press reported.

From the beginning of 2024 to date, 14,570 suspected cases and 71 deaths from measles have been recorded in Afghanistan, the report said.

According to UNICEF, over 11,000 of these patients are children under five years old, and more than 6,000 measles patients are women. The UNICEF urged its humanitarian partners to prioritize the safety of female staff in Afghanistan.

The UN report comes at a time when ‘Save the Children’ voiced concerns about the situation of children in Afghanistan. The international non-governmental organisation stated that 2,50,000 Afghan children returning from Pakistan face food and shelter shortages.

On April 27, the World Food Programme said it has been distributing food and cash to six million people every month there, according to Khaama Press.

About 15.8 million people in Afghanistan would experience food insecurity crises and emergency levels, according to UN estimates.

Significantly, to meet the basic needs of people in Afghanistan, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has sought a budget of USD 3.6 billion.