NRC halts some of its Aid Activities in Afghanistan

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), one of the largest humanitarian organizations active in Afghanistan, has announced that due to a severe budget shortfall, it has been forced to suspend some of its humanitarian activities in the country.

In a statement released on Tuesday, March 25, the Council stated that, like many other aid organizations that have been unable to continue operations in Afghanistan due to reduced humanitarian funding, the NRC is also facing a severe budget cut.

The NRC has warned that the widespread reduction in humanitarian aid will not only diminish the presence of aid agencies in Afghanistan but will also put the lives of millions of people at greater risk.

Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Council, during his recent visit to Afghanistan, stated that the organization, which had provided aid to over 250,000 people in the country in 2024, is now forced to suspend some of its vital programs due to a lack of financial resources. These programs include education, healthcare, food assistance, and support for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees from Iran and Pakistan.

This decision comes at a time when Afghanistan is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in its modern history, with millions of people in need of urgent assistance. The budget cuts, mainly due to the suspension of U.S. aid and reduced financial support from other donor countries, have severely impacted humanitarian efforts in the country.

According to reports, the NRC helped 772,484 people in Afghanistan in 2022, but this figure dropped to 491,435 in 2023 and further decreased to 216,501 in the past year. The reduction in funding was particularly exacerbated after the U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision in early 2025 to suspend U.S. development assistance for 90 days.

The suspension of U.S. humanitarian aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which provided around 20% of the NRC’s annual budget (equivalent to $150 million), has severely impacted the operational capacity of the Council in Afghanistan.

As Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis deepens, international aid organizations like the NRC are facing significant challenges in providing essential services. If these financial constraints continue, many vulnerable groups, including displaced people and children, may face even harsher conditions.

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