Today, the United States announced it is providing more than $266 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help the people of Afghanistan, whose lives are being impacted by ongoing conflict and who now are facing extreme food insecurity. This funding includes $157.5 million through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Total U.S. humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan is more than $543 million since Fiscal Year 2020.

This funding comes at a critical moment of rising humanitarian needs, as people continue to flee their homes due to conflict, and as COVID-19 has triggered an economic downturn that has led to rising food prices. With this new support, USAID will provide emergency food and nutrition assistance to include in-kind and specialized nutritious food, cash and vouchers to support more than 2.3 million people, including women, girls, and minority groups. This new funding will also support humanitarian coordination efforts and provide essential emergency non-food items such as warm clothing for vulnerable households affected by conflict and natural disasters. This new assistance builds on previous USAID assistance delivered during the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic, when USAID ramped up its ongoing humanitarian efforts to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic by delivering food, shelter, safe drinking water, hygiene supplies, and other critical aid.

The additional assistance announced today continues America’s enduring partnership with Afghanistan and its people, bringing the total U.S. humanitarian assistance to nearly $3.9 billion since 2002. As the United States withdraws forces from Afghanistan, our commitment is clear, we remain a steadfast partner with our full diplomatic, economic, and assistance toolkit to support the peaceful, stable future the Afghan people want and deserve as well as the rights of women and girls.

For the latest updates on USAID’s humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, visit here.