UNICEF: Afghanistan on Brink of Peak Child Malnutrition Crisis

Image: UNICEF/UN0877098/Khayyam

UNICEF has warned in a new report that 3.7 million children under the age of five in Afghanistan face a high risk of malnutrition because of food insecurity.

The agency said Afghanistan is on the brink of the peak malnutrition season. According to the report, nearly half of children under five in Afghanistan suffer from stunting caused by malnutrition, and 10.3 percent are affected by severe or moderate wasting.

UNICEF said around 90 percent of young children in Afghanistan live in food poverty, and many of them eat only one or two types of food a day, which is not enough for healthy child development.

Dr Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, said young children are already approaching a dangerous situation even before the start of the peak malnutrition season. He stressed that action must be taken before children reach the stage of severe malnutrition.

UNICEF has called for urgent assistance and greater investment to protect children’s nutrition, especially for children aged 6 to 23 months and pregnant women.

This warning comes as poverty, unemployment and declining international aid since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 have pushed millions of families into a severe food crisis.