Attachments
Highlights
- Food security continues to improve marginally in Afghanistan, with the latest IPC showing almost a quarter of the population facing crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity, down by 3.7 million compared to 2023. Nevertheless, food needs remain high and concerning.
- As the harsh winter looms, WFP Afghanistan has prepositioned 85 percent of its target food supplies for winter, prioritizing provinces currently affected by snow before access is cut off. WFP is scaling-up its winter assistance to support the food security of 6.2 million vulnerable people, which typically worsens during winter with depleted harvests and fewer job opportunities.
In Numbers
2.6 million people assisted
11.6 million people food-insecure (IPC Phase 3-4) as of October 2024
USD 787 million six months (November 2024 – April 2025) net funding
SITUATION UPDATE
- Food security continues to improve marginally in Afghanistan, with the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) indicating that 11.6 million people (25 percent of the population) are currently in IPC Phase 3 (crisis) or above, down from 15.3 million in 2023. The scale and duration of humanitarian food and emergency agricultural assistance have prevented acutely food-insecure populations from falling into worse levels. Food insecurity remains high and concerning, with 14.8 million people (32 percent of the population) projected to be food insecure (IPC Phase 3/Crisis or above), during the winter months, and are in urgent need of humanitarian food assistance from November 2024 to March 2025. Key drivers include high unemployment, household debts, low incomes, the influx of returnees from neighbouring countries, and fluctuating food prices. Afghanistan’s economic fragility and the expected La Niña conditions in 2025 will negatively impact agricultural and livestock conditions, maintaining the need for food assistance.
- Malnutrition rates are also rising at an alarming pace, compounded by the fact that WFP has been forced to cut food assistance and malnutrition prevention due to funding constraints. Approximately 3.5 million children under the age of five and 1.15 million pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW) are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition and about 2.95 million children stunted in 2025. Compared to 2024, this marks an increase of 28 percent for moderately acute malnourished children, 1 percent for severely acute malnourished children, and 6 percent for PBW with acute malnutrition. Poor diets (with 78 percent of families unable to afford a nutritious diet), high levels of disease, sub-optimal immunization coverage, poor water and sanitation conditions, significant access challenges to health and nutrition services especially during the winter season remain as key drivers. There is an urgent need to sustain food assistance to the most vulnerable and scale up nutrition services through an integrated multisectoral approach to not risk losing the gains made.
- Morality law: Since the enactment of the morality law by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) in August, WFP has been closely monitoring its impact on humanitarian operations, with a particular focus on the presence and participation of Afghan women in offices and the field. An upward trend in PVPV oversight has been noted, particularly in the northeast (Badakhshan), west (Herat) and south (Kandahar) regions to enforce compliance with the law.
- The law represents a troubling setback for human rights, granting the PVPV authorities broad discretionary powers that disproportionately marginalize Afghan women and girls and restrict their personal freedoms. WFP is adopting a principled approach, which prioritizes staff and partners security, strengthens monitoring capabilities, secures access, and refines its targeting efforts. As a mitigation strategy, WFP has been proactively engaging with local authorities and communities and investing in efforts to ensure the safety of its staff and partners and foster greater inclusion of women in its activities.
- Winter prepositioning: WFP continues to preposition food commodities in areas likely to be inaccessible during winter, dispatching 52,610 mt so far (85 percent of the target) to be distributed to 1.5 million people. Close to half of the prepositioned wheat flour (20,000 mt) have been sourced locally. Provinces experiencing snowfall, such as Badakhshan, Bamyan, Ghor, and Daikundi, are being prioritized for food dispatches, which are scheduled to be completed in November. WFP’s cooperating partners’ verification of targeted beneficiaries is almost complete. Overall, WFP aims to support 6.2 million people through the winter scale-up assistance