Bruno Lemarquis, the UN Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, has said that more than 700 health facilities across the country were closed between 2025 and 2026 due to cuts in international aid.
Lemarquis said on Friday, November 6, that humanitarian funding for Afghanistan had fallen from $2 billion in 2023 to $570 million in 2026.
He added that cuts to humanitarian funding had limited people’s access to essential services.
Lemarquis also criticized the continued ban on Afghan female staff entering UN premises, which has been in place since August 2025, saying the restrictions had affected the organization’s operations.
He said the Taliban’s restrictions on the rights of women and girls had worsened Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis and increased the country’s international isolation.
The UN official called on the international community to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
