United States Announces More Than $144 Million in Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Afghanistan

Today, the United States announced more than $144 million in humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. This funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State brought total U.S. humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to nearly $474 million in 2021 alone.

This assistance, which includes more than $100 million from USAID, comes as Afghanistan faces increasing food insecurity, with more than half the country’s population expected to be food insecure this winter. This assistance will flow through independent humanitarian organizations who provide support directly to some of the more than 18.4 million vulnerable Afghans in the region. It includes lifesaving food and nutrition assistance, protection, essential health care, agriculture, and winterization assistance, as well as support to transport aid workers and critical relief supplies into Afghanistan, in response to the growing humanitarian needs exacerbated by the current economic contraction, COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters including drought, malnutrition, and the impending winter.

The United States is the largest single humanitarian donor in Afghanistan. For this assistance to be effective, all aid workers, especially women, must be permitted to operate independently and securely and be able to reach women and girls in communities without impediments.. Without female staff, safe and principled programming is not possible. The United States will work to urge the Taliban to adhere to agreements to allow unhindered humanitarian access, safe conditions for humanitarian personnel, independent provision of assistance to all vulnerable people, freedom of movement for aid workers of all genders, and safe passage for all those who wish to leave Afghanistan. We will continue to help alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people and call on other donors to continue to step up their contributions to help deliver critical assistance directly to the people of Afghanistan.

For the latest updates on USAID’s humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, visit: Afghanistan | Humanitarian Assistance | US Agency for International Development