UN says US aid cut could result in 1,200 more Afghan maternal deaths by 2028

A key UN health agency warned Tuesday that Washington's aid cut could see 1,200 more women die from pregnancy and birth-linked causes in Afghanistan through 2028.

"Obviously we're pretty concerned about that substantial loss in funding," Pio Smith, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) regional director for Asia and the Pacific, told reporters, pointing to Afghanistan where "between 2025 and 2028 we estimate that the absence of US support will result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths and 109,000 additional unintended pregnancies."

The Trump administration implemented a temporary freeze on foreign development aid last week, pending review of its alignment with foreign policy objectives and operational efficiency. The order's precise scope remains unclear, particularly regarding its impact on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, which is primarily distributed through NGOs and UN agencies.

Speaking from Kabul on Tuesday via video interview, Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary General Jan Egeland expressed serious concerns to Reuters about the impact of this decision from Afghanistan's largest donor. "A 90-day suspension of all aid, no new grants, no new transfer of funding, will have disastrous consequences immediately for an already starved aid operation for very poor and vulnerable girls and women and civilians in Afghanistan," he warned.

Humanitarian crisis

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan affects over 23 million people - more than half the population. Aid has already decreased due to competing global demands and international concerns about Taliban policies restricting women's participation in public life, including education and healthcare.

Since the Taliban's takeover and withdrawal of foreign forces in 2021, Afghanistan has lost crucial development funding that previously sustained government operations. As Reuters reported last year, NGOs have become essential in addressing the resulting humanitarian gaps.

"We're in a much more precarious position now," Egeland explained. "In the past, when development assistance was flowing, we might have managed a three-month suspension, but that's no longer possible."