The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has significantly reduced funding for Afghanistan in 2025, leading to the suspension of many essential humanitarian programs that have been critical for millions, especially women and children. These cuts come amid an already dire humanitarian crisis caused by prolonged conflict, economic collapse, and environmental disasters.
Since January 2025, after a presidential executive order paused all US-funded foreign aid programs pending review, nearly all USAID contracts and programs in Afghanistan were terminated or suspended. This includes funding for food security, health services, education, and protection programs that women and children disproportionately depend on. The suspension affects several UN agencies, international NGOs, and aid groups that had been providing life-saving assistance to about 22.9 million Afghans requiring aid.
The humanitarian impact has been severe: health clinics face closure or reduced services, food aid distributions have halted in many regions, and protective programs for women and girls have been slashed. Aid organizations warn that without prompt restoration or alternative funding, these cuts will result in increased malnutrition, disease, and deaths.
The official rationale for cutting aid cites concerns about corruption under the ruling Islamic Emirate (Taliban) government and a shift in US policy focus. However, Afghanistan's government denies these charges, and critics emphasize that the withdrawal of aid disproportionately hurts vulnerable populations rather than facilitating political change.
Experts highlight that the cuts exacerbate an already precarious situation where more than half of Afghanistan's population lives in poverty and faces food insecurity, with children's health and education most at risk.
Aid groups including the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and World Food Programme (WFP) have suspended or scaled back operations since the aid freeze, with IRC warning the shutdown of programs negatively affects millions in remote and urban areas alike.
This dramatic reduction in aid funding underscores the fragile state of Afghanistan’s economy and social services, which remain heavily reliant on foreign assistance to provide basic needs. Without renewed international support, millions of Afghan women, children, and families face a worsening humanitarian emergency.
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