UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

UN agency coordinating international humanitarian response in Afghanistan amid severe funding shortfalls. - Coordinating humanitarian response with reduced funding

Heavy snow and rainfall killed at least 61 people across Afghanistan between January 22-24, 2026, with 110 injured and 458 homes destroyed across 15 of the country's 34 provinces. Earlier that month, flash floods triggered by the season's first heavy rains killed at least 17 people on January 2, destroying over 1,800 homes in western provinces. The Salang highway—a vital artery connecting Kabul to northern provinces—remains closed to heavy vehicles under meters of snow, while power outages continue across Kabul and 10 provinces after avalanches destroyed a 220-kilovolt transmission tower importing electricity from Uzbekistan.

Updated Feb 5

The UN's humanitarian coordinator just became America's aid gatekeeper. - Now controlling centralized U.S. humanitarian funding

The United States pledged $2 billion for UN humanitarian aid on December 29, down from as much as $17 billion annually—an 88% cut that represents the most dramatic foreign aid contraction in modern American history. Within hours of his January inauguration, Trump froze nearly all foreign assistance, then dismantled USAID entirely by July, warning UN agencies they must 'adapt, shrink or die.' The new funding flows through a single UN office rather than individual agencies, centralizing control as millions lose shelter, food, and medical care. UN experts estimate over 350,000 deaths have resulted from the aid freeze—including more than 200,000 children.

Updated Dec 29, 2025