INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The World Food Program (WFP) has cut assistance to eight million food-insecure Afghans due to critical funding shortfalls.The UN said in a
statement this week that in addition to the eight million people, 1.4 million new and expecting mothers, toddlers and preschoolers are also
no longer receiving foods designed to prevent malnutrition.From July onwards, only five million people will receive emergency food
assistance when 15 million people in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) 3 and 4 do not know where their next meal will come
from, the statement read.In addition, ration sizes have been reduced and those families in IPC 4 areas now receive one-third less assistance
If no new funding is received, emergency food assistance by WFP will shrink to nothing by the end of October, the agency warned.WFP
nutrition partners also reported that due to funding shortfalls, 25 mobile health and nutrition teams in four provinces have been shut down
The affected provinces include Nuristan, Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar
The closure of these teams means that more than 100,000 people will not have access to basic health and nutrition care services across the
Eastern region.By June this year, only nine percent of the $4.6 billion required for Afghanistan&s initial Humanitarian Response Plan had
In addition, 90 percent of the expenditure in the first five months of the year, that is approximately $850 million, relied on carryover
funds from 2022.Despite a revision of the initial humanitarian appeal for 2023, the response plan remains currently only 14 percent
funded.The UN said funding levels will also affect the health sector, and an estimated 7.6 million people will lack access to essential
life-saving health assistance if funding levels remain the same.&More than 31,500 households with severely malnourished children have
already missed out on critical integrated cash packages for nutrition due to underfunding,& the UN said.The education sector also faces
potential discontinuation of approximately 2,800 community-based classes, impacting 83,000 children, 59 percent of whom are girls, who have
only gained access to education in the past year after the Taliban took over.The UN pointed out that the end of the year will bring further
challenges with its harsh winter, which many cannot survive without assistance including warm clothing and blankets, essential medical
treatment and food aid.&Timely funding is crucial to enable aid agencies to procure and deliver core supplies, address border delays and
market disruptions, and preposition relief items in highly affected areas
The Inter-Cluster Coordination Team is embarking on a critical funding gaps analysis which will be ready by the end of July,& the UN
stated.The post Critical shortfall of funds threatens humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan first appeared on Ariana News.
