The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned that 500 of its 900 supported health clinics in Afghanistan are at risk of closure following a significant reduction in funding from the United States.
Andrew Saberton, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, announced that a $102 million cut in US aid would leave an estimated 6.9 million Afghan women and children without access to essential health services.
Speaking to reporters in New York after visiting UN-supported health facilities in Kabul, Bamiyan, and areas near the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, Saberton underscored the severe consequences of the funding shortfall.
“I saw and understood the devastating impact the massive cuts to UNFPA will have in one of the world’s greatest humanitarian crises; a crisis that may have fallen off the news radar, but remains one of the most severe globally,” he said.
Saberton revealed that the US had recently withdrawn approximately $330 million in funding for UNFPA globally, of which $102 million was earmarked for Afghanistan. These funds were primarily allocated for family health services, mobile health clinics, and psychosocial support, all vital in a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
The potential closure of these clinics could drastically reduce access to life-saving care for millions of Afghan women and children.
Despite the funding setback, Saberton reaffirmed UNFPA’s commitment to staying in Afghanistan and continuing to provide critical services wherever possible.
