Afghanistan: Impact of US Funding Suspension on the Humanitarian Response (As of 07 Mar 2025)

The Importance of US Funding

• The US has been the largest donor to Afghanistan’s humanitarian response (CAPs/HRPs/HNRPs) since 2013, demonstrating unwavering commitment to meeting life-saving and life-sustaining needs countrywide.

• Over the years, US support has been instrumental in strengthening emergency responses during critical moments, including the escalation of conflict in 2014, the devastating drought in 2018, and the political transition in 2021, which triggered widespread and escalating humanitarian needs, while also playing a pivotal role in averting famine in 2021 and 2022 through robust support for food security and nutrition interventions.

• In 2024, the US was the largest contributor to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), providing $735.7 million (47 per cent of total funding requested).

• With US and other donors’ funding, humanitarian responders in Afghanistan were able to reach 20.4 million people in 2024 with at least one form of humanitarian assistance. Among them, 3.4 million people received three different types of sectoral support. Women represented 29 per cent of the total number of people reached.

• Without US funding, millions people less will be targeted for assistance in 2025 under the HNRP. In some cases, the assistance and services provided may be the only ones received by individuals with the most critical needs.