Overview
Afghanistan, a landlocked nation strategically located at the juncture of Central and South Asia, is home to over 42 million people. Currently, it is grappling with one of the most severe humanitarian, socio-economic, and human rights crises worldwide. Two-thirds of the Afghan population struggle to meet their basic needs, marking the displacement situation in Afghanistan as one of the most enduring in recent history.
In alignment with the Council Conclusions of September 2021 and March 2023, the European Union maintains its commitment to supporting the Afghan people. However, development cooperation with Afghanistan is currently suspended.
Our partnership
While development cooperation remains suspended, the European Union persists in its efforts to support the Afghan population by addressing their basic needs and enhancing their livelihoods. This support acts as a complement to humanitarian aid, offering the Afghan people a medium-term perspective and contributing to create a set of stabilising factors.
The EU's assistance to the Afghan population adheres to a principled approach, ensuring that aid reaches women effectively and that they play a significant role in the aid delivery process. Importantly, EU assistance is strictly not funnelled through or to the benefit of the de facto authorities. Instead, all aid is meticulously implemented by United Nations agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Additionally, the Afghan displacement crisis, both within and outside the country, receives support through a Regional Team Europe Initiative, involving the EU and 13 Member States.
For the period 2021-2024, the EU has allocated over EUR 900 million to support basic needs and livelihoods of the Afghan people.
Further information on DG INTPA’s assistance in Afghanistan can be found in the 'Related documents' section below.
Our key initiatives
- Improving access to basic needs
To ensure the continuity of essential services such as healthcare and education. Specific actions include:
- Improving primary education by enhancing school safety and facilities, supporting equitable enrolment of children, and training teachers in inclusive, protective, and safe education practices.
- Improving access to comprehensive healthcare services, covering drug addiction treatment, control of infectious diseases, and care for non-communicable diseases such as cancer.
- Enhancing access to water, sanitation, and health services in remote areas.
- Strengthening livelihoods and economic resilience
To tackle widespread poverty by strengthening community-based safety nets, expanding access to income-generating and business support services at the community-level, and improving value chains, market access, access to microfinance – with a special focus on creating economic opportunities for women and vulnerable groups (such as youth, IDPs, returnees and minorities). Specific actions the EU is taking include:
- Developing business support organisations, supporting improved quality standards for goods and services, helping producers and businesswomen access markets, fairs, and exhibitions.
- Enhancing economic opportunities, vocational education, and trainings for vulnerable groups like women and youth.
- Strengthening agricultural capacity through sustainable farming and livestock training.
- Increasing small-scale renewable energy generation and climate-smart community assets like watersheds and irrigations systems.
- Preparing communities for disasters, supporting natural resource management and local conflict resolution related to resource and climate issues.
- Migration and forced displacement
In response to the ongoing Afghan displacement crisis, the EU, together with 13 EU Member States, launched a regional Team Europe Initiative. This initiative is dedicated to fostering durable solutions and providing support to both long-term and newly displaced Afghans, returnees, and their host communities across Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Central Asia.
Beyond targeted support for displaced Afghans, the EU’s assistance for basic needs and livelihoods targeting the Afghan population is also instrumental in addressing the root causes of migration, offering a comprehensive approach to address the multifaceted challenges of the crisis.
Specific actions include:
- Improving access to gender-responsive health services, education, and livelihood opportunities.
- Increasing resilience through enhanced protection spaces.
- Strengthening data collection and analysis of migration and displacement trends.