Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, has warned that 1.7 million children in Afghanistan are at risk of death.

According to Ansar Press, Fletcher told a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday that, due to a severe reduction in humanitarian funding, the country is on the brink of a serious humanitarian crisis, adding that "the coming winter will be the first winter with almost no food distribution."

He said the number of people receiving assistance has dropped from 5.6 million last year to just one million this year.

The UN humanitarian chief stated that 1.1 million children have been deprived of life-saving services due to the closure of 305 nutrition centers, and that 1.7 million children, out of 3.7 million in need of nutritional support, face a risk of death if they do not receive treatment.

He added that in 2025, 422 health facilities ceased operations, resulting in three million people losing access to essential health care.

Fletcher emphasized that nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, and that the United Nations has appealed for $1.7 billion to reach 17.5 million people in need.

He noted that, in light of dwindling resources, the UN is prioritizing assistance for 3.9 million of the most at-risk individuals.