Country: Afghanistan Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, UN Children's Fund, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, World Health Organization Please refer to the attached files. UN calls for bold nutrition action to tackle child and women nutrition crisis in AfghanistanUNICEF, WHO, WFP, FAO and UNFPA are calling for a coordinated, multisectoral action on nutritionPashto version: HereDari version: HereKABUL, 15 June 2025 – Afghanistan is at a critical juncture in its fight against child and women malnutrition. The UN Joint Strategic Call to Action on Nutrition advocates for urgent, multisectoral, and tailored activities to tackle all forms of malnutrition and prevent further harm to the most vulnerable children and women. Immediate action, backed by global, national, and community-level support, is essential to save lives and mitigate the devastating impact of this ongoing crisis.Afghanistan ranks among the top 15 countries with the highest rates of child wasting. Today, over 3.5 million children under five in Afghanistan are acutely malnourished including 1.4 million suffering from life-threatening forms. Meanwhile, four in every 10 women are undernourished and too often overlooked in the response.High levels of food insecurity, driven mainly by a fragile economy and environmental disaster like drought, puts 9.8 million people into acute food insecurity, while nine out of every 10 young children in Afghanistan live in child food poverty (around 2.1 million children). These children lack access to the variety of foods essential for their growth and development, often consuming diets that include, at most, four food groups, and on some days even less.The UN Joint Strategic Call to Action on Nutrition aims to combat the severe crisis of child wasting and other forms of malnutrition in Afghanistan, and UNICEF, WHO, WFP, FAO and UNFPA are calling for a coordinated, multisectoral action on nutrition. The focus is on strengthening food, agriculture, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, in addition to social protection and education systems, to prevent, detect, and treat child wasting and other forms of malnutrition early and effectively.“Good maternal nutrition is crucial for maternal health and the survival of newborns in Afghanistan, where many women start pregnancy undernourished. Poor maternal nutrition not only increases the risk of maternal mortality but also contributes to low birthweight, stunted growth, and poor developmental outcomes for children. Ensuring women have access to nutritious food from pregnancy to breastfeeding requires the full support of families and communities. UNFPA works with partners to integrate nutritioninto reproductive and maternal health services.” - Kwabena Asante-Ntiamoah, UNFPA Representative in Afghanistan.Malnutrition isn’t just a single health challenge—it’s a cycle that spans generations. When mothers suffer from malnutrition, their babies are more likely to be born underweight, increasing the risk of poor growth and development throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Breaking this cycle requires a proactive approach that focuses on both prevention and treatment at every stage of life. The World Health Organization is dedicated to ensuring that the most vulnerable including every woman and child has theopportunity to thrive. By strengthening the national health system through broader health initiatives, WHO is building healthier, more resilient communities and accelerating progress toward global nutrition goals in the country — so no one is left behind." - Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO representative to Afghanistan.“Women and children bear the brunt of the hunger crisis in Afghanistan, where four out of five families cannot afford minimally nutritious diets. WFP delivers lifesaving emergency food assistance to families facing multiple compounding vulnerabilities and many of whom have no other means of survival. Without sustained food assistance, millions of Afghans will descend into deeper hunger and acute malnutrition, especially with the onset of winter in a few months.”. - John AYLIEFF, WFP Country Director, Afghanistan.“Nutrition starts with what communities grow and eat every day. When we support farmers and build strong, lasting bonds with them, we help improve how food is produced, stored, and shared. This means families can access healthier, more diverse diets. With the right support at the right time — especially through farming and livelihood assistance — we’ve seen that hunger and malnutrition can be reversed. We know what works. With enough resources, we can make sure Afghan girls, boys, women, and men get the food they need to live healthy, dignified lives.” - Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan.“Afghanistan’s nutrition crisis is not just a local emergency—it is a test of global commitment to the world’s most vulnerable children and women. With only five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Nutrition targets set and extended by the WHA, we must act now to ensure no child is left behind with millions of children suffering from life- threatening malnutrition due to poor services, practices and child food poverty. Investing in nutrition today is an investment in peace, resilience, and the future of Afghanistan.” - Dr. Tajudeen OYEWALE, UNICEF Representative, Afghanistan.The UN Joint Call to Action on Nutrition in Afghanistan comes at a pivotal time. On 23 May 2025, the Executive Board of the 78th World Health Assembly adopted the extension of the Global Nutrition Targets to 2030. This decision reaffirms the global commitment to ending all forms of malnutrition and accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Afghanistan’s UN Joint Call to Action sets a roadmap to strengthen the supportive environment for the design and implementation of comprehensive food and nutrition policies to prevent wasting, stunting, and other forms of malnutrition. It aims to ensure early access to preventative services, integrated management of acute malnutrition, and improved access to healthy, nutritious diets.The Call to Action also urges that food, health, social protection, water and sanitation and education systems be made more sensitive, better equipped, and more accountable to the nutritional outcomes among children and women. Achieving this requires strengthening the building blocks of nutrition governance—including improved leadership, multisectoral coordination, an institutionalized nutrition workforce, and robust evidence generation to inform policies and programmes.With limited time left, urgent joint investment and action are now required to meet global nutrition and SDG targets by 2030.Link to UN Joint & Strategic Call to Action on NutritionFor more information, please contact in Afghanistan:WHO: Ajyal Manssour Al-Sultanya, sultanya@who.intWFP: Philippe Kropf, philippe.kropf@wfp.orgFAO: Sylvie Montembault Jamal, Sylvie.Montembault@fao.orgUNFPA: Arlene Alano, alano@unfpa.orgMedia contactsJames ElringtonCommunication ManagerUNICEFTel: 93799987032Email: jelrington@unicef.org