KABUL: A senior United Nations official said three out of every four people in Afghanistan are unable to meet their basic needs, underscoring the country's continuing humanitarian crisis.
Alexander De Croo, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), said he visited Afghanistan's eastern provinces and areas recently affected by an earthquake to assess conditions on the ground and evaluate how the United Nations can better support recovery efforts.
In a statement posted on X, De Croo said Afghanistan continues to face one crisis after another, leaving millions of people struggling with severe hardship.
He said emergency humanitarian assistance is essential to save lives, but stressed that sustainable development is necessary to help communities rebuild their futures and reduce long-term dependence on aid.
De Croo arrived in Kabul on an official visit alongside a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The delegation is reviewing the humanitarian situation and ongoing relief operations across the country.
More read, More than 17 million Afghans face acute hunger this winter, WFP warns
Earlier, United Nations World Food Program (WFP) had warned that over 17 million people in Afghanistan are facing severe food insecurity this winter, as hunger and malnutrition continue to worsen across the country. Funding cuts are hampering the delivery of life-saving assistance, the agency added.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, around three million more Afghans are now experiencing acute hunger compared with last year, when 14.8 million people were affected. Child malnutrition is also expected to rise, with nearly four million children projected to suffer from severe malnutrition over the coming year. WFP cautioned that with malnutrition already at its highest levels in decades and essential services underfunded, access to treatment is becoming increasingly limited.
