UN official warns of severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan remains extremely severe amid rapid population growth, large-scale internal migration, and the return of millions of refugees, Director of UN-Habitat for Afghanistan Stephanie Loose said during a dialogue session at WUF13 in Baku.

According to Report, Stephanie Loose stated that Afghanistan"s population has increased by more than 12% since 2023.

"More than half of the population needs humanitarian assistance. Millions of people in the country continue to live in conditions of forced displacement," she noted.

Loose emphasized that climate change, natural disasters, and prolonged conflicts remain the main causes of the crisis.

She also stated that the return of more than 5 million Afghan refugees from Iran has further complicated the situation.

"This process is placing additional pressure on the country"s social and economic capacities," the UN-Habitat representative said.