Michael Hughes
December 7, 2024

Nearly 23 million vulnerable Afghans, most of them children, will likely suffer more than usual this winter because the Taliban have intensified restrictions that hinder UN aid delivery.

“In 2025, 22.9 million people [in Afghanistan] will require humanitarian assistance, including 12.4 million children,” UNICEF said in a statement released on December 5. “The operating space continues to shrink through increasing impediments and challenges. As the situation worsens, it is imperative that UNICEF stay and deliver.”

UNICEF said Taliban decrees and laws obstructing timely service are expected to escalate, just when a robust field presence is required. The UN agency said restrictions on women and girls are among obstacles in the delivery of aid to a huge swathe of a suffering and starving population. The Taliban measures have increased protection risks as well as humanitarian needs at the household level, UNICEF added.

Relief agencies stressed that children are likely to suffer the most as the brutal cold engulfs Afghanistan. During the last winter, temperatures dropped to as low as -33 degrees F. The World Food Program called for stepped-up efforts especially given the winter is when hunger bites hardest. WFP estimated that an additional 580,000 children are expected to become malnourished versus last winter, and projected about one-third of the population faces hunger.

Save the Children’s country director Arshad Malik explained as winter arrives families are forced to make tough decisions about what to put first: food, heating, or warm clothes for the children.

“One family said that they are worried about how they are going to survive the winter and make sure their children even have just bread to eat,” Malik told The Independent. “One child told us that he didn’t have any warm clothes – until they were provided by Save the Children – and was having to share socks with his siblings.”

LACK OF CAPACITY TO MEET ‘BASIC HUMAN NEEDS’

UNICEF painted a bleak outlook on prospects during the winter months as drivers of need in Afghanistan shift from conflict to economic hardship, operating barriers, and climate change. Another frigid winter could illustrate, again, how ill-equipped Afghanistan is, due in no small part to poor governance. The fragile health-care system, for example, has become increasingly incapable of providing assistance. UNICEF estimated that 91% of households face barriers to health services in 2024 versus 77% in 2023.

The regime’s failure to adequately address water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) has also contributed to high humanitarian requirements. Compounding the inability to develop self-sustainment are climate crises such as floods, landslides, and epidemics. 92% of Afghan households reported experiencing at least one of these “shocks,” up from 87% two years ago.

“Changing climate patterns and unpredictable rainfall have diminished communities’ adaptive capacity,” UNICEF said. “Without adequate investment in WASH infrastructure and rehabilitation, community resilience remains woefully inadequate, leaving millions dependent on humanitarian aid.”

UNICEF said it urgently needs $1.2 billion for life-saving aid to fulfill basic human needs, provide essential services, and build resilience. In a detailed report accompanying the statement the agency outlined the areas funding must address. In a sobering acknowledgement, UNICEF indicated it must “prioritize” the flow of the funds, even among already vulnerable populations. 

UNICEF was also clear in delineating humanitarian needs from what they describe as “basic human needs.” The former are typically addressed through makeshift food, blankets, temporary shelter, and emergency medical aid. The longer-term basic human needs are met through healthcare programs, sustained nutrition, access to clean water, enduring shelter, energy, and education.

The $1.2 billion UNIFEC raises will be broken done as such: almost 50% of the funding is earmarked for healthcare, water, sanitation, and hygiene; 35% for education and social services; and 15% nutrition. The funding plan is designed to provide health services to 19 million people at UNICEF-supported facilities; safe water supply for 4 million people; and mental health and psychological support to 2.9 million children and caregivers. UNICEF also intends to assist 415,000 school-aged boys and girls in accessing community-based schools and temporary learning spaces.

The Taliban, meanwhile, have taken no responsibility and have instead released shameful statements during a humanitarian emergency. In fact, Taliban members are not only restricting aid – they are stealing it. Afghans told local media government representatives took assistance to give to their own families that was supposed to go to poor households. 

The Taliban movement’s leadership has signaled they are unlikely to enhance capabilities and would rather rely on outside help. The Taliban think the international organizations need to do more, according to Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy.

“We call on the World Food Program and other aid organizations to not only provide humanitarian aid to needy Afghans but also to create job opportunities and participate in developmental projects,” the spokesperson told Tolo News.