The United Kingdom contributes GBP 24 million to provide emergency support to children and women in Afghanistan

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, 13 September 2022 – The Government of the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has contributed an additional GBP 24 million towards UNICEF’s US$ 2 billion Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal for Afghanistan.

With these funds, UNICEF will deliver lifesaving nutrition, water and sanitation, and child protection services to over 1.6 million people affected by the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis. Around 1.3 million – 77 per cent – are children.

These funds will also enable UNICEF to improve the nutritional status of over 700,000 children, provide safe drinking water and improved hygiene awareness to more than 350,000 people, and increase access to key protection services, including mental health and explosive ordnance risk education support, for over 500,000 people.

A further 18,000 households with pregnant and lactating women will also benefit from humanitarian cash assistance intended to address their nutrition needs and provide an entry point for the provision of case management services to over 3,400 children.

“Afghanistan remains one of the toughest places on earth to be a child. Children’s rights are under attack; their childhoods are marred by deprivation. Compounding factors including drought, malnutrition, the spread of preventable disease, the detritus of war, a stagnating economy, and limited and fragile social basic services are exacerbating challenges for children and women,” says Dr. Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF Representative. “We are grateful to the United Kingdom for its continued partnership during this critical time. These funds will allow us to continue addressing the immediate needs of the most vulnerable girls, boys and women across the country.”

This contribution from FCDO follows a GBP 25 million contribution made in 2021 towards UNICEF’s emergency response.