Afghanistan’s 2026 HNRP remains an activity-based costed plan. Total financial requirements amount to $1.71 billion, a 29 per cent reduction from 2025. Despite this, the response will assist 17.5 million people, a 4 per cent increase from last year. Average cost per beneficiary has fallen from $143.94 to $98.07 (a 32 per cent reduction), driven by sharper prioritisation, notable efficiency gains, and a strategic shift away from high-cost, less sustainable interventions. The most significant reductions are in WASH and FSAC. WASH has reduced water trucking and revised kit composition while expanding hygiene-promotion activities in response to AWD. FSAC has adjusted its targeting framework, with returnees receiving one month of full rations and natural disaster-affected households receiving two months of full rations. Households targeted for winter lean season assistance will receive six months of support, while those targeted under the hotspot response will receive three months of food assistance, reduced from six months in 2025. For households classified as IPC Phase 3 or Phase 4, food assistance rations will be provided at 50 per cent of the standard requirement, thereby substantially lowering overall costs.
Costing methodology
Cost estimates for each cluster are tailored to their specific activities and needs. Costing is primarily based on activity-level unit costs consolidated through Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) tools. Where activity-based costing was not feasible, clusters applied the standard formula using 2025 cost-per-person values. Requirements reflect aggregated activity costs aligned with cluster plans. The Education Cluster requires $60.0 million for 613,800 children at $97.82 per beneficiary, a 13 per cent reduction compared with $112.20 last year reflecting lower activity costs. ES/NFI requests $160.3 million for 880,600 people, with an average cost of $182.03, an 11 per cent increase from 2025 attributed to an increased caseload for transitional shelter. FSAC requires $651.1 million to support 11.9 million people, with the average cost reduced to $54.66, representing a 29 per cent reduction. The Health Cluster seeks $190.8 million for 7.2 million people at $26.43 per person, which is 13% reduction from last year. The Nutrition Cluster requires $298 million to reach 5.7 million people at $52.45 per person. The Protection Cluster requests $136.5 million for 5.3 million people at $25.52 per person. The WASH Cluster requires $163.34 million for 7.8 million people, with unit cost reduced to $20.84, which constitutes half of the 2025 unit cost.
Cost effectiveness
In preparation for the 2026 HNRP, clusters engaged in boundary setting and prioritisation that guided their sector-specific plans. Cost efficiency will be a core priority across all clusters, achieved through careful planning, strategic integration and strong collaboration. By aligning interventions with local needs, minimising duplication and leveraging partnerships, the clusters aim to deliver high-impact outcomes for the most vulnerable populations. This approach not only addresses immediate needs but also contributes to the long-term resilience and recovery of affected communities.
The Nutrition Cluster improves efficiency by integrating treatment, prevention, and community screening platforms and using joint delivery arrangements with health partners. The WASH Cluster achieves major gains by standardising hygiene kits, shifting to lower-cost water-treatment and sanitation options, and sequencing activities to reduce high-cost emergency responses. Education partners strengthen cost-effectiveness by using TLS as adaptable, lower-cost entry points linked to sustainable community-based schools, supported by increased localisation.
ES/NFI improves value for money by prioritising repairs, retrofitting and transitional shelter solutions, reinforced by owner-driven approaches and earlier pre-positioning that reduces logistics costs. FSAC enhances efficiency through recalibrated lean-season coverage, improved procurement pipelines and targeted seasonal assistance that avoids unnecessary blanket distributions. The Health Cluster reduces operational overheads by integrating essential services within shared platforms, particularly mobile teams, rather than expanding fixed facilities. The Protection Cluster strengthens cost-effectiveness by scaling community-based mechanisms and integrating GBV, child protection and mine-action risk education under unified programming models. Collectively, these measures allow the response to reach more people at lower cost while maintaining quality and prioritising the most severe needs.
Changes in the cost of operating
Following the restrictions imposed by the DfA on women’s movement, the UN system, through the UNCT, adopted a costed mahram policy in 2023, allowing eligible women staff to claim the costs of a male family member accompanying them on official travel. As enforcement of these restrictions has intensified, it is anticipated that additional mahram-related costs will be incurred during 2026.
Operational costs vary across clusters due to fuel price volatility, the appreciating Afghani against the US dollar which strengthened from 70.4 in January to 65.7 in December 2025, transportation constraints, supply chain disruptions linked to border closures and activity-specific input requirements. In the event of prolonged border closures with Pakistan, procurement costs for basic relief items may rise further due to reliance on longer alternative routes, restricted access to Pakistani seaports and increased use of air freight. Despite new logistical challenges being encountered in 2025, strengthened planning and supply chain optimisation helped mitigate cost pressures and ensure that 2026 interventions remain efficient, timely and focused on the most acute needs.