The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating, with the risk of famine in the country, which is why the EU has activated its emergency aid reserve, bringing the amount allocated to humanitarian aid for Afghanistan to almost €150 million in 2024. The news was given during an international summit today in Brussels to discuss the food and health crises in the country. European aid will go towards food assistance, shelter, healthcare and access to water and sanitation, while around €14.5 million will be allocated to education in emergencies, the Commission announced in a statement, “as 8 million children and adolescents need educational assistance, including 1.4 million girls that are excluded from accessing secondary school”. Pakistan and Iran, on the other hand, will receive over €7 million and about €10 million, respectively, to respond to the humanitarian needs of displaced Afghans in the two countries and their host communities. The statement specifies that “EU humanitarian aid is solely channelled through humanitarian partners working on the ground”.