UN Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan, STFA

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

Afghanistan is one of the least developed countries in the world. Humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the country further deteriorated after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. The UN Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA), which is composed of several UN organizations, was established shortly after to support joint UN programming in order to meet the basic needs of people in Afghanistan. STFA channels funding to support livelihoods of people in vulnerable positions, food security, basic services and social cohesion. STFA programming is based on communities’ local needs and follows the bottom-up approach. The fund complements humanitarian response with the aim at supporting the survival of people and mitigating the risk of socio-economic collapse. STFA includes eight area-based programs that are rolled out as the funding is made available. In September 2022, altogether 17 UN organizations and 12 donor countries participate in the fund.