Asia Pacific
Afghanistan is experiencing unprecedented levels of hunger and food insecurity, with 15.9 million people facing severe food insecurity. The situation is expected to deteriorate further in the coming months.
Afghanistan is experiencing unprecedented levels of hunger and food insecurity, with 15.9 million people facing severe food insecurity. The situation is expected to deteriorate further in the coming months. Heads of various United Nations agencies have appealed for urgent assistance to address the growing crisis. In its latest report on Afghanistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented further serious human rights violations, including public flogging and new restrictions on public protests.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), millions of people across the country experienced acute hunger between August and October. Economic pressures are worsening household hardships. More than 32 percent of the population is experiencing food insecurity at IPC Phase 3 or above, while 3.4 million people are facing emergency-level food insecurity, classified as Phase 4. The report identifies the spread of diseases, inadequate access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and a significant decline in access to nutrition services as major factors contributing to the deteriorating situation.
Conditions are expected to become even more severe between November and April. During this period, approximately 19.2 million people are projected to face food insecurity at IPC Phase 3 or above, including five million who may experience emergency-level food insecurity. The number of people suffering from severe malnutrition is also expected to increase significantly. Between January and December 2027, an estimated 4.04 million children under the age of five may require treatment for malnutrition.
The World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have highlighted the severity of the crisis and called for urgent financial assistance. Both agencies have stressed the need to expand food distribution, emergency agricultural support, malnutrition prevention and treatment program. John Ayliff, WFP's Country Director in Afghanistan, said that an opportunity to provide assistance still existed, but it was rapidly disappearing. He said timely support could enable people to get through the winter with dignity. Without assistance, many parents would be forced to make difficult choices that no parent should ever have to face. Richard Trenchard, the FAO representative in Afghanistan, said people needed support and livelihood opportunities that would enable them to earn a sustainable income, withstand future crises and overcome the hardships of winter.
In its report, UNAMA stated that the human rights situation across Afghanistan continued to deteriorate between July and September. Women and girls have borne the greatest burden as a result of restrictions imposed by Taliban authorities.
Girls are still prohibited from receiving formal education beyond the sixth grade. When questioned about the ban, a Taliban spokesperson said that certain issues and considerations needed to be taken into account from the perspective of Sharia law.
The UN mission documented more than 50 incidents involving punishments related to hijab regulations, most of which occurred in Herat and Kabul. In one incident, a 13-year-old girl was detained overnight. Women were also prevented from entering medical facilities and markets without a mahram, or male guardian.
The mission recorded at least 443 cases of arbitrary detention, along with 97 incidents of mistreatment by officials of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. These actions were reportedly taken over alleged violations of hijab rules, trimming beard hair, failing to perform prayers and listening to music.
Although the Taliban-established Supreme Court stopped announcing public punishments on its website and social media accounts in April, UNAMA documented public flogging in the cases of 22 men and six women. The report also stated that 14 members of the security forces of the former government had been arrested, while four others had been killed.
Several media outlets were suspended without clear explanations, and no mechanism was provided for appealing these decisions. A new police law published in August reportedly imposed a ban on all public protests.
Since October 2025, cross-border violence has killed 512 civilians and injured 1,236 others. Of these casualties, 33 civilians were killed or injured during the most recent quarter. The incidents included the deaths of children during attacks by Pakistan in Kumar and Helmand provinces.
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