Humanitarian assistance

The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has been severe for years. Half of the population are in need of humanitarian assistance. Reasons for this include the problems caused by widespread and prolonged poverty, the difficult political situation, security concerns, natural disasters accelerated by climate change, and the rapidly growing number of Afghan refugees who have returned to the country.

Afghanistan is having one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world. More than half of the country’s 40 million people need humanitarian assistance. The humanitarian and political situation in Afghanistan is difficult. The UN’s emergency appeal for 2024 is over three billion dollars. 

Millions of Afghan refugees are staying in Pakistan, Iran and the other neighbouring countries of Afghanistan. In 2023, approximately 2 million Afghans returned to Afghanistan, including nearly half a million Afghans who had been expelled from Pakistan. The adaptation of returning refugees to the Afghan society is an enormous challenge. 

Finland has granted humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan throughout the 21st century. Assistance has been channelled through the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and via the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

After the Taliban takeover, Finland has allocated development cooperation funds to humanitarian assistance. In 2023, Finland’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan amounted to EUR 11.5 million. The funding was used to distribute food aid and clean water, to care for malnourished children and to offer protection to refugees.

Humanitarian mine action

Finland supports humanitarian mine action in Afghanistan, which is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Mines and other unexploded remnants of war are cleared especially in the northern and central parts of Afghanistan. The improved security situation has made it possible to expand operations to new areas in the south and east.

Finland supports minesweeping in northern and central Afghanistan. Photo: Halo Trust
Finland supports demining in northern and central parts of Afghanistan. Photo: Halo Trust

Finland channels its humanitarian mine action through the British HALO Trust organisation. In addition to demining, mine action involves mine risk training and victim rehabilitation. 

The activities promote the early recovery and subsistence of individuals and the reconstruction of communities. In the long term, they also support societal development.  

Finland has supported humanitarian mine action in Afghanistan since 1991. The total budget for supporting the activities of the HALO Trust in Afghanistan in 2021–2025 is EUR 4 million.