European Union contributes €15 million to WFP to build Afghan communities' resilience and mitigate climate crisis impacts
Kabul – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a €15 million (US$15.8 million) contribution from the European Union (EU) for its activities in Afghanistan. This latest contribution will help local communities prepare for natural hazards and face the devastating effects of climate change, and support farmers for more productive and sustainable agriculture. So far this year, more than 160,000 people were affected by flooding alone, destroying nearly 20,000 homes, and thousands of hectares of agricultural land.
“The European Union is committed to assisting the people of Afghanistan in adapting to climate change, which is severely threatening food security and livelihoods notably of rural communities. Climate-related shocks also exacerbate host communities’ capacity to support internally displaced people and returnees from neighboring countries, and they discourage farmers in poppy-cultivating areas from sustainably shifting to licit crops. This latest contribution increases the European Union’s steady support to WFP’s resilience programme in Afghanistan to a total EUR 85.1 million since 2022”, said the EU Chargée d’affaires a.i. in Afghanistan, Veronika Boskovic Pohar.
WFP builds small-scale infrastructure with and for communities, helping them adapt and reduce the impact of the climate crisis, through irrigation canals, dams, and flood protection walls. Farmers are trained and supported to produce higher yields and surplus for wheat, rice and maize they can sell on local markets. Further, WFP trains food-insecure women and men, including forced returnees from Pakistan, in marketable skills ranging from tailoring to mobile phone repair, allowing them to make a regular income and feed themselves.
“These projects are crucial to prepare communities to stand on their own two feet, feed their families, and reduce their dependency on humanitarian food assistance”, said Harald Mannhardt, WFP Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan. “This latest funding from the European Union comes at a critical moment as WFP earlier this year was forced to halt projects across the country due to a massive funding shortfall.”
The WFP project, which the EU is contributing to, has demonstrated significant results. This year alone, 215,000 men and 208,000 women benefited directly from climate-smart community assets, more than 13,500 women and 3,000 men gained new skills, and more than 5,000 farmers were supported in agricultural production and market opportunities.