UN humanitarian office says 19.2 million Afghans may face acute hunger from November to April

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 19.2 million people in Afghanistan could face acute food insecurity between November and April, even though rains and harvests have improved and markets have food. Its spokesperson in Afghanistan, Olga Cherevko, spoke to journalists after visits to the south and northeast of the country.

The figures come from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, known as the IPC, a UN-supported global food security monitor. According to UN News in Arabic and French, 15.9 million Afghans are now facing acute food insecurity at the Crisis level or worse. Of these, 3.4 million are in Emergency conditions. UN News in English gives the first count as nearly 16 million. For the winter lean season, the IPC expects the total to rise to 19.2 million, and it expects five million of them to be in Emergency conditions.

Ms. Cherevko said the problem is no longer only whether food exists. “a harvest can improve, markets can have food, but families can still go hungry,” she said. She said people also need to be able to afford food, earn an income and reach basic services.

OCHA said one good harvest cannot repair the damage of several years of drought. Without money, many farmers may be unable to buy the seeds, fertiliser and other supplies they need for the next planting season. OCHA also said health facilities are reporting more cases of severe acute malnutrition among children.

Children are the group hit hardest. The IPC forecasts that more than four million children under the age of five will need treatment for acute malnutrition next year. About a third of nutrition treatment centres have closed or suspended services, in part because of budget cuts, according to UN News. The sources do not say which donors or budgets were cut.

Ms. Cherevko also pointed to the systematic exclusion of women and girls from schools and society by the Taliban. She cited a report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). It warns that if current restrictions continue, Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030.

OCHA asked for help to reach families before winter and before they have used up their options. According to UN News, that means food for the most vulnerable, protection of livestock, support for farmers before planting ends, and access to health care, nutrition and clean water. Ms. Cherevko said: “Humanitarian aid can and does save lives today”. She added that “we cannot keep asking humanitarian aid to compensate indefinitely for the absence of economic opportunity and essential public services”. She called for lasting investment in agriculture, local markets, jobs, water systems, health services and work opportunities for women.

The UN is itself a party to this story, as a provider of aid. UN News reports that from January to July, UN agencies and humanitarian partners reached 8.3 million people with at least one form of assistance. UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization are among those still delivering education, food, treatment for malnutrition and health care.

The sources are UN News reports of the OCHA briefing. They do not give the Taliban authorities’ response, and this paper has not checked the figures.