The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that with support from China, it has provided essential food aid to approximately 250,000 people in Afghanistan over the past month.
The aid included 2,000 tons of food items such as flour, wheat, vegetable oil, lentils, chickpeas, and salt.
On Thursday, October 17, WFP issued a statement confirming that these food supplies were distributed to at least 35,000 families across Afghanistan. The organization highlighted that China’s food assistance came at a critical time, as WFP faces a budget shortfall while millions of Afghans experience food insecurity.
The head of WFP in Afghanistan stated, “Afghanistan is a global hunger hotspot, with more than three-quarters of the population unable to afford a nutritious diet to prevent malnutrition.”
China’s economic and trade advisor to Afghanistan emphasized that many people currently face “despair and hunger.”
WFP stressed that many Afghan families will require ongoing emergency food assistance to survive the harsh winter months ahead.
The UN noted that last year, due to budget constraints, it could not provide food aid to 10 million Afghans. This summer, another 11 million people in Afghanistan missed out on critical food assistance from the program.
The situation in Afghanistan is dire, with millions suffering from extreme hunger and food insecurity. As winter approaches, the need for continuous support becomes even more pressing, especially given the shortfall in global funding for humanitarian aid.
China’s efforts to assist Afghanistan through the World Food Programme offer some relief, but the broader challenges of hunger and underfunded relief programs threaten to exacerbate the crisis. More international support will be necessary to prevent the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan from further deteriorating.
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