Islamic Emirate Ministry of Economy Calls UNICEF Report on 21.9 Million Needing Aid Exaggerated

Afghanistan's Ministry of Economy has described a UNICEF report claiming that 21.9 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2026 as exaggerated.

Deputy Minister of Economy Abdul Latif Nazari stated that the Islamic Emirate is working to reduce poverty and increase families' purchasing power through job-creating projects.

UNICEF's report on its January services indicated that nearly 21.9 million people, including more than 11.6 million children, will require humanitarian aid in 2026. It noted that the number of people facing severe food shortages rose from 14.8 million to 17.4 million, while those in very critical conditions increased from 3.1 million to 4.7 million.

UNICEF spokesperson in Afghanistan Daniel Te May said: "This year in Afghanistan nearly 22 million people need humanitarian aid. Among them, 11 million are children. In January 2026 alone, UNICEF treated more than 46,000 children through inpatient and outpatient services for severe acute malnutrition."

The report also projects that nearly 3.7 million children under five will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2026, with about a quarter facing the severe form.

Economic expert Abdul Zahir Madbar suggested that aid organizations should focus more on basic assistance to help reduce poverty. He added: "To escape dependency on foreign aid, we must focus on several areas, including boosting the country's production capacity, increasing incomes, finding markets to boost exports, and attracting domestic and foreign investment."