Introduction
After more than 40 years decades of conflict, natural hazards and chronic poverty, Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises worldwide, which has also far-reaching impacts on neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.
The complex and protracted humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is further aggravated by:
• climate change
• environmental degradation
• political insecurities
• economic instability
• epidemics
The humanitarian community is facing new challenges since the withdrawal of international troops and the Taliban takeover in 2021. Nonetheless, the EU continues to have a stable presence in the country and to provide life-saving assistance in Afghanistan through its various funding programmes.
EU humanitarian aid strictly adheres to the humanitarian principles of:
• independence
• impartiality
• neutrality and
• humanity
What are the needs?
Unemployment, debt and poverty remain widespread, affecting nearly half the population. The UN estimates that in 2025, over 22.9 million people will need humanitarian assistance. Millions of people across the country do not have access to safe water, enough food, and appropriate health care, making them more vulnerable to diseases and malnutrition.
The effects of climate change have:
- caused a widespread water crisis across the country
- generated additional food, health, and nutrition needs
Currently, close to 10 million people are facing acute food insecurity. The situation is expected to deteriorate.
Afghanistan continues to face a protection crisis, with women, children, persons with specific needs, and marginalised groups facing the biggest risks. A ban on secondary education led to 1.5 million teenage girls being out of school. Further restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, such as limits on their freedom, and access to services, along with child labour, child marriage, and gender-based violence, are all closely connected protection risks.
Despite the cessation of armed conflict, Afghanistan remains one of the countries most contaminated by unexploded ordnances worldwide, with children paying the biggest price.
More than 3.4 million Afghans have returned or been deported after neighbouring Iran and Pakistan started the forced repatriation of foreigners – mostly Afghans – with different legal statuses. These mass returns have put additional pressure on a country already facing a severe humanitarian crisis. Many Afghans are pushed to return after decades, while others have never lived in Afghanistan, with few belongings and no place to stay, facing:
- unemployment
- poverty
- an uncertain future
How are we helping?
The EU has been funding humanitarian operations in Afghanistan since 1994, providing some €2 billion in humanitarian funding.
Given the scale of humanitarian needs, the EU’s priority is to:
- provide lifesaving assistance
- ensure access to basic services
- build the resilience of the population to crises
In 2025, the EU has so far allocated over €161 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
This funding is channelled through vetted EU partner organisations, such as UN agencies, international organisations and NGOs, who provide critical relief assistance to the most vulnerable. Interventions focus on:
- emergency food assistance
- healthcare and nutrition
- education in emergencies
- access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation facilities
- protection services, including de-mining activities
- shelter and non-food items
- disaster preparedness
To facilitate the delivery of lifesaving aid, the EU has transported over 2,240 tonnes of relief items through 41 Humanitarian Air Bridge flights to Kabul since August 2021.
In response to the fatal earthquake that hit the country on 31 August, the EU has approved €1.5 million in emergency funding, and organised 6 additional flights bringing over 440 tonnes of essential supplies donated by the EU’s humanitarian stocks.
