KABUL – The World Health Organization has welcomed a fresh humanitarian contribution from Japan totaling US$240,000 to sustain life‑saving health services in Afghanistan, with targeted support for substance use treatment centres and the replenishment of critical emergency medical supplies. “We are thankful to the People and Government of Japan for standing with the people of Afghanistan at this challenging time,” said Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO Representative to Afghanistan. “Their support helps keep essential health services running, including care for people with substance use problems and emergency medical services. This partnership allows WHO to respond quickly and deliver care to the communities that are most vulnerable.”
Why the funding lands at a precarious moment
Afghanistan’s health system continues to operate under severe resource constraints nearly five years after the political upheaval of 2021. WHO warned in 2025 that funding shortages had already shuttered 167 health facilities and could force up to 80% of WHO‑supported services to close without urgent support-disruptions that risk maternal care, routine immunization and outbreak response across large swathes of the country.
The broader humanitarian picture remains acute. WHO’s public health analysis estimated that in 2025 nearly 23 million people-about half the population-needed assistance, compounded by large‑scale returns from Iran and Pakistan that strained local services. Key health indicators, including child malnutrition and preventable disease burden, remain highly sensitive to even short interruptions in primary care. Against this backdrop, even modest, targeted grants help keep essential front‑line functions from stalling and buy time for larger donors to make medium‑term financing decisions.
Focus on substance use treatment and emergency care
Japan’s funding will help keep substance use treatment centres operating and sustain emergency supply pipelines for trauma and acute care. The push aligns with UN drug‑control findings showing Afghanistan’s narcotics economy has been in flux since the de facto authorities’ 2022 ban: opium cultivation plunged by about 95% in 2023, while UN officials have warned that treatment options remain limited and that synthetic drug markets have shown signs of growth in the region. In practice, this means health providers must respond simultaneously to legacy opiate dependence, emerging methamphetamine use and the wider mental‑health fallout of prolonged crisis.
Sustaining evidence‑based treatment and emergency capacity is therefore a public health and governance priority: functioning treatment centres are among the few institutional interfaces available to a marginalized population, and emergency departments are often the first and only point of contact for people injured in conflict, disasters or everyday accidents.
“Japan is deeply concerned about the ongoing challenges faced by the people of Afghanistan and is pleased to support WHO in strengthening essential health services. By prioritizing areas like substance use treatment and emergency care, Japan reaffirms its commitment to the health, resilience and future well-being of the Afghan people.”
Japan’s steady humanitarian lane
Tokyo has maintained a consistent humanitarian channel to Afghanistan through multilateral partners, positioning itself as a long‑term, needs‑driven donor rather than a political broker. In 2025, Japan funded emergency relief following earthquakes in the east and contributed to UNICEF programmes for health, WASH and child protection-signals of a policy that separates lifesaving aid from diplomatic recognition questions and that emphasizes “human security,” a long‑standing pillar of Japanese foreign assistance.
Japan does not formally recognize the Taliban administration, but it continues engagement focused on humanitarian and development issues; senior Taliban representatives met officials in Tokyo in 2025 during a civil‑society‑facilitated visit. The Embassy of Japan lists its Kabul mission with consular services suspended, reflecting both security concerns and the constrained diplomatic environment. For Afghan health providers, this kind of arm’s‑length engagement translates into resources routed through UN agencies rather than direct government‑to‑government programs, but it keeps a predictable donor in the field at a time when many funding streams are shrinking.
Health delivery under constrained governance
Since 2021, most donor support for basic services has flowed through UN agencies and vetted partners rather than state systems, a modality formalized by the World Bank’s Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund and International Development Association grants to sustain primary health care while avoiding political channels. This “off‑budget” model is now the backbone of service delivery, shaping who can be paid, which provinces are prioritized and how quickly outbreaks can be contained.
At the same time, humanitarian exemptions adopted by the UN Security Council-anchored in its landmark resolution that created standing protections for humanitarian activities within UN sanctions regimes-provide legal space for transactions that meet basic needs, helping agencies procure medicines and pay vendors without violating international sanctions frameworks. For operational agencies, compliance with these rules has become a major part of programme design, influencing banking routes, partner vetting and even the choice of medical suppliers.
Disease risks keep pressure on clinics
Ongoing outbreak threats underscore the need for uninterrupted supplies and staffing. Afghanistan remains one of the last two countries with endemic wild poliovirus; WHO’s 2025 Emergency Committee noted continued detections and sporadic cases, particularly in the south, requiring high‑quality immunization and surveillance-services that depend on predictable funding and access. Seasonal surges of measles, acute watery diarrhoea and respiratory infections, combined with high levels of undernutrition, mean that small funding gaps can quickly translate into excess mortality, especially among children under five.
In this context, Japan’s contribution serves as a bridge for facilities that might otherwise reduce hours, cut female staff or suspend outreach altogether-decisions that carry disproportionate consequences for women and girls already facing restrictions on movement and work.
Afghanistan’s health, by the numbers
- People in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025: about 22.9 million; funding requirements for the health and protection components of the response were in the multi‑billion‑dollar range, with repeated mid‑year revisions as needs outpaced pledges.
- WHO‑supported facilities closed as of March 4, 2025 due to funding gaps: 167; additional facilities at risk if gaps persisted: more than 220-threatening service continuity in remote districts where no alternative providers operate.
- Opium cultivation change after the 2022 ban: down approximately 95% in 2023; treatment capacity remains limited, leaving health workers to manage complex addiction and withdrawal cases with constrained inpatient beds and few community‑based services.
WHO says it will continue coordinating with national health authorities and international partners to reinforce emergency preparedness and keep core services accessible as Japan’s US$240,000 contribution is rolled out, framing the grant as part of a broader effort to prevent a fragile health system from tipping into systemic collapse.
