The decline in support follows the suspension of US assistance, which previously accounted for nearly half of the international funding directed toward Afghanistan’s healthcare.
Since September 2023, nearly a million Afghans, 545,000 of them children, have returned, often with little more than a few belongings in hand and no clear idea of what lies ahead.
According to UN agencies, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are all interconnected, for instance progress on SDG 2 to end hunger is closely tied to advances in health and education.
From green energy projects imposed without consent to policy decisions made in rooms where Indigenous voices are absent, these communities are too often excluded from climate solutions, displaced by them, and denied the resources to lead the way.
The programme would also develop an integrated pollutant and a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory system to provide a comprehensive approach to tracking and managing emissions data.
Nearly half of PM2.5 pollution in the worst-affected countries comes from the burning of fossil fuels, biomass, and agricultural waste – also major contributors to climate change. As extreme weather events worsen due to climate change, air pollution is expected to become an even greater threat, UNICEF warned.
Despite the challenges, some organisations continue to operate in Afghanistan, striving to fill the gaps left by fleeing professionals. However, without significant international support and a reversal of restrictive Taliban policies, the health-care system’s recovery seems unlikely.
Experts advocate treating care as essential social infrastructure. Expanding services, redistributing unpaid work through policy, and challenging norms that sideline educated women could unlock significant gains.
This 2026 event arrives after earlier haor region floods earlier in the year, underscoring recurring pressures. Migration to urban centres and climate adaptation efforts remain critical long-term challenges.
Experts advocate treating care as essential social infrastructure. Expanding services, redistributing unpaid work through policy, and challenging norms that sideline educated women could unlock significant gains.