Andrew Saberton, deputy executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has said that following recent US funding cuts, UNFPA has lost $330 million in budget, with Afghanistan being the hardest hit.

Speaking at a press conference, Saberton said that due to the suspension of funding, UNFPA programs worth $102 million in Afghanistan have been halted.

According to Saberton, the closure of these programs will leave 6.3 million people in Afghanistan, most of them women and children, without access to life saving support.

He pointed out that Afghanistan is among the countries with the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. “Afghanistan has already one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with every two hours a mother dies from preventable pregnancy and childbirth complications,” Saberton said.

During his visit to Afghanistan, he held discussions with officials of the Islamic Emirate, particularly raising the issue of girls’ education and their rights in the health sector.

In response to a question, he said: "I particularly highlighted the fact that if education stops at grade six for girls, then there will be no pipeline for when midwives get older and retire in the future. The country and the services that we’re able to provide will be catastrophically affected. I made this case, they understood this case."

Saberton said that the Islamic Emirate officials expressed concern about the reduction in aid, but he reassured them that Afghanistan remains a priority for the United Nations.

Andrew Saberton visited Afghanistan from May 4 to May 9, during which he met with the acting minister of public health, the governor of Bamyan, the deputy minister of youth affairs at the Ministry of Information and Culture, and other officials of the Islamic Emirate.