TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - More than 10.7 million women and girls in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance by 2026, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan.
Local media outlet Tolo News, citing the UN agency, reported on Tuesday, July 14, that women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the country's humanitarian crisis, with increasing needs for healthcare, protection, and other essential services.
The UN agency said a shortage of women health workers, funding cuts, and limited access to health services have placed increasing pressure on Afghanistan's maternal healthcare system.
OCHA warned that these challenges have raised concerns about a potential increase in maternal and newborn deaths and called for continued humanitarian support to address the country's health and humanitarian needs.
Al Jazeera reported, citing UN Women, that at least one million women and girls have been cut off from live-saving support in the last 18 months due to funding cuts.
Despite seeing a rise in demand for services in the past year, 90 percent of aid organizations assisting women and girls said they could not meet needs on the ground as funding has depleted.
This situation came as the US, which was previously the largest global aid donor, slashed billions in foreign aid under Donald Trump's administration.
Out of 855 women's organizations surveyed by the UN across 52 vulnerable countries, including in Afghanistan, 40 percent face temporary or permanent shutdowns within the next year due to low funding.
Meanwhile, sixty percent said the organizations reach fewer women and girls over the past year despite increased needs.
“The women’s organizations at risk of being shut down are on the frontlines of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises,” Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s chief of humanitarian action, said in a statement.
Read: Taliban Arrest 30 Women for Violating Hijab Rules, UN Says
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