Ministry of Economy Rejects UNICEF Report as Exaggerated
The Ministry of Economy has described as exaggerated a recent report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stating that 21.9 million people in Afghanistan are in need of humanitarian assistance.
The ministry’s Deputy Minister for Professional Affairs emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is working to reduce poverty by launching employment-generating projects.
Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister for Professional Affairs at the Ministry of Economy, said: “The Islamic Emirate is striving to reduce poverty in the country by implementing job-creation projects and to increase the purchasing power of families.”
In a report outlining its activities in January, UNICEF stated that in 2026, nearly 21.9 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance, including more than 11.6 million children.
The report further noted that, based on a new assessment, the number of people facing severe food shortages has increased from 14.8 million to 17.4 million, while the number of those in extremely critical conditions has risen from 3.1 million to 4.7 million.
Daniel Timme, UNICEF spokesperson in Afghanistan, said: “This year, almost 22 million people in Afghanistan, which is almost half of the population, need humanitarian assistance. Among those are 11 million children. In January 2026 only, UNICEF treated over 46,000 children for severe acute malnutrition through inpatient and outpatient services.”
Economic analysts also believe that if aid organizations focus more on basic assistance, it could help reduce poverty in the country.
Abdul Zahoor Mudaber, an economic expert, said: “To free ourselves from reliance on foreign aid, we must focus on several areas, including increasing the country’s production capacity, raising revenues, finding markets to boost exports, and attracting both domestic and foreign investment.”
According to the UNICEF report, projections indicate that in 2026 nearly 3.7 million children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition, with nearly one quarter of them facing the severe form of the condition.
