Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan, warned that one million children are at risk of dying due to severe acute malnutrition if rapid intervention and proper treatment are not provided.
Oyewale stated during a press conference held via video conference in Geneva, originating from Kabul, that a total of 3.7 million children suffer from wasting, being in a state of acute malnutrition, with one million of them affected by the severe form.
According to the UN agency, more than half a million children have been hospitalized in health centers since the beginning of the year due to severe acute malnutrition. Children under two years old constitute more than 80% of the cases of severe acute malnutrition recorded in the country, according to Oyewale.
This year, there has been an increase of over a third in cases of severe acute malnutrition presenting with medical complications. UNICEF also drew attention to the effects of malnutrition on pregnant women, which increases the number of low birth weight newborns and decreases their chances of survival due to the scarcity of intensive care in neonatal units.
The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been intensified by the destructive earthquakes of last year, various climate disasters this year, and the return of millions of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan since 2023.
The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that nearly 14 million people currently face levels of acute hunger, within a total population exceeding 45 million. In August, the WFP had already issued a warning that acute child malnutrition had reached critical levels in Afghanistan.
However, the response capacity of humanitarian organizations is limited by a lack of funding. UNICEF's nutrition program in the country requires approximately 180 million dollars (about 150 million euros) this year, but has only received 22% of that amount so far.
Humanitarian operations have also been hampered by the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as the almost total closure of the land border between the two countries since October 2025, which interrupted the main logistical supply routes. However, in mid-August, the United Nations announced the entry into Afghanistan, via Pakistan, of more than 700 trucks loaded with food and other vital humanitarian items.
