Less funding for healthcare and other needs
Lemarquis, the UN's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and its Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, said humanitarian funding totaled about $570 million so far in 2026. That compares with roughly $1 billion in 2025 and $2 billion in 2023, leaving this year's funding at about a quarter of the 2023 level.
Funding shortages are also threatening primary healthcare. About 40% of facilities, or roughly 700 of the country's 1,900 health posts, are expected to close between 2025 and 2026, he said.
Education bans and wider rights restrictions
Lemarquis described the restrictions facing women and girls as "severe and sweeping," affecting their ability to study, work and take part in public life. More than 2.6 million girls have been excluded from secondary education since 2021, he said, while female university enrollment stands at zero.
He identified girls' access to education as one of the most sensitive challenges facing education globally. The country's broader education crisis also affects boys: economic hardship has led some families to keep them out of school.
Asked about the Taliban's justification for restricting women and girls, Lemarquis said their explanations combine religious extremism with longstanding practices of control and discrimination.
A UNAMA human rights report for July through September 2026, cited by UN News on October 15, said girls were still excluded from formal schooling beyond sixth grade. It also documented more than 50 hijab-related cases, mainly in Herat and Kabul, along with at least 443 arbitrary arrests and 97 incidents of ill-treatment by virtue-and-vice inspectors. A police law published in August prohibits all demonstrations, the report noted.
Restrictions extend to UN operations. Afghan women employed by the organization have been barred from its premises throughout the country since September 2025. Lemarquis said that ban remains in force.
Millions of returnees need support and livelihoods
Since 2020, 6.7 million Afghan nationals have returned to the country, a movement Lemarquis described as "massive." Many were forcibly expelled from neighboring host countries, including large numbers from Pakistan and Iran. He said he had met returnees who had never previously lived in Afghanistan.
Legal documentation and protection are among their needs, alongside a way to earn a living. Lemarquis emphasized that last requirement as "jobs, jobs, jobs."
More recent UNHCR figures, reported on November 8, put returns from Iran and Pakistan at an estimated 1.29 million between January and September 2026. Forced deportations accounted for 43%; the others left amid deteriorating living conditions and restrictions. About 202,000 returnees, representing around 45,000 families, received cash assistance at border crossings.
UNHCR said its response in Afghanistan requires $216.4 million, but it has allocated only $30 million in flexible funding.
Livelihoods are also central to efforts to eradicate opium poppy production, Lemarquis said. Citing a recent UN report, he said production rose by 330% during 2025 as farmers found ways to conceal it from the Taliban. Eradication requires viable alternatives for earning a living, he said.
Winter shelter and food needs
UNHCR's annual winter appeal, launched October 30, seeks at least $50 million to help people through the 2026-27 winter. The agency estimates that at least 9 million people need additional assistance across Afghanistan, Ukraine, Syria and Lebanon.
For Afghanistan, UN data indicate that 4.2 million people will need shelter support in 2026. The appeal also cited close to 4 million returns from Pakistan and Iran between January 2025 and July 2026.
Food insecurity is expected to worsen during the winter lean season. An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report released October 15 found that 15.9 million Afghans faced acute food insecurity, including 3.4 million in emergency, or phase 4, conditions.
For November 2026 through April 2027, the report projected that nearly 19.2 million people would face phase 3 or worse conditions, including five million at the emergency level. It also projected that 4.04 million children younger than five would need treatment for acute malnutrition during January through December 2027.
Further pressures expected in 2027
Lemarquis warned that humanitarian needs are expected to increase sharply in 2027. He cited the large influx of returnees, regional instability and a stronger-than-ever El Niño weather pattern as combined threats to food security and access to services.
