The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Sweden has contributed 10 million Swedish kronor, or about $1.02 million, to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, as aid agencies face severe funding shortages while millions of Afghans need assistance.
OCHA thanked Sweden for the contribution in a post on social
media, saying continued international support helps strengthen collective
efforts to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, managed by OCHA, pools
contributions from donors to help humanitarian organizations respond to urgent
needs across the country.
The new funding comes as Afghanistan faces a widespread
humanitarian crisis driven by food insecurity, drought, poverty, limited access
to basic services and the large-scale return of Afghans from neighboring
countries.
According to OCHA’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response
Plan, about 21.9 million people — roughly 45% of Afghanistan’s population — are
expected to need humanitarian assistance this year. The plan calls for $1.71
billion to provide assistance to 17.5 million people.
UN warns of shrinking humanitarian response
In a report published in September, OCHA warned that funding
shortfalls were forcing aid organizations to reduce services and reach fewer
people.
As of Aug. 26, the United Nations had recorded $509.3
million in funding for the 2026 humanitarian response, equivalent to 29.7% of
the plan’s requirements. Although some additional resources had not yet been
reflected in the official figures, OCHA said the overall funding situation
remained severely constrained.
The shortfalls had already led to the closure of some health
facilities and service points, the suspension of assistance, reduced geographic
coverage and disruptions to supply chains during the first half of the year,
the report said.
