Attachments
Highlights
- People in Afghanistan continue to face an array of interconnected crises – natural disasters, a shrinking protection space, fragile economy, limited access to basic services and climate-induced shocks – all preventing recovery from more than four decades of conflict. In 2026, an estimated 21.9 million people, including 11.6 million children, will require humanitarian assistance.
- The protection crisis is deepening, with women of reproductive age, children, youth and marginalized groups facing escalating risks. As conditions worsen, UNICEF’s continued presence is vital to deliver essential services and safeguard the most vulnerable.
- Afghan women and girls face a systemic rights crisis. Bans on secondary education and workforce participation, coupled with restrictive daily-life rules, have escalated protection risks and threaten long-term resilience. The impacts will be felt for generations to come.
- Chronic underinvestment in the WASH sector – compounded by relentless climate shocks – has intensified humanitarian needs and weakened community resilience.
- UNICEF urgently requires US$949.1 million to reach 12 million people, including 6.5 million children, with life-saving aid and basic services. This investment will address immediate humanitarian needs and strengthen long-term community resilience. This support is critical to ensuring every child in Afghanistan has the chance to survive and thrive.
KEY PLANNED TARGETS
12 million Number of people accessing healthcare in priority provinces
5.7 million Number of children in public education (including shock-affected/vulnerable girls and boys) reached with emergency education support
1.3 million Number of children 6-59 months with Severe Wasting and High-Risk MAM admitted for treatment
2.9 million Number of people in humanitarian contexts reached with appropriate drinking water services, through UNICEF supported programmes