The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Germany has contributed 6.8 million euros ($7.96 million) to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday, as humanitarian agencies face a major funding shortfall in Afghanistan.
OCHA thanked Germany for the contribution, saying the
funding will help sustain life-saving assistance for people affected by crises
across Afghanistan.
The contribution comes as Afghanistan’s humanitarian
response remains severely underfunded. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response
Plan requires $1.71 billion to assist people in need, but only a fraction of
the appeal has been funded. OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service currently shows
the plan is about 15% funded, leaving roughly 85% of the requirements unmet.
OCHA said earlier this year that the funding gap had reached
$1.44 billion, with humanitarian needs continuing to outpace available
resources.
The United Nations estimates that 21.9 million people in
Afghanistan will need humanitarian assistance in 2026, with food, health,
nutrition, water, shelter and protection among the key needs.
The funding shortage has already affected humanitarian
operations. The World Food Program has warned that severe reductions in aid are
forcing cuts to food and nutrition assistance, with malnutrition among children
reaching critical levels in parts of the country.
The Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, managed by OCHA, is a
pooled funding mechanism designed to provide rapid and strategic support for
critical humanitarian needs in the country.
Germany’s latest contribution is expected to support
humanitarian organizations providing emergency assistance to vulnerable Afghans
as the international response struggles to close the widening funding gap.
