Importantly, the UN Security Council has now agreed to a humanitarian exemption to sanctions against the Taliban for life-saving aid. Australia must now act.

Hard-won development gains in women's rights, education and livelihoods - gains Australia has helped secure - will be decimated due to the economic strangulation of the country. The number of people in need of assistance in Afghanistan now surpasses those in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

For Afghan families and communities, basic household costs like wheat and fuel are up by around 40 per cent, and food now accounts for more than 80 per cent of average household expenditure. Even those with some savings are struggling to access their own cash due to the collapse of the country's banking system. Devastatingly, some parents are being forced to sell their children to strangers just to survive.

As communities navigate the brutal winter, doctors and nurses are fighting to keep mothers and newborns warm enough to stay alive and millions of displaced people have only the protection of thin tarpaulins to ward off subzero temperatures.

And there is little snow on the roads - an ominous sign the drought and associated famine will not ease any time soon.

Even before the withdrawal of international forces and diplomatic missions, Afghanistan was one of the world's largest humanitarian emergencies. At this time of unparalleled need, aid and development groups are asking Australians not to turn away.

The Australian government must act with greater speed and purpose to support global efforts to prevent human suffering, state collapse and a global refugee crisis. In September, Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne stated that "Australia stands in solidarity with the Afghan people. We will play our part and respond to those most in need."

However, while the government has committed $65 million in aid this year, it is unclear how much has been delivered to humanitarian organisations working on the ground. Local teachers and healthcare workers have been without salaries since August, showing up to work because they know doing so is a matter of life and death for the people of Afghanistan.

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For 20 years, Australians fought and died for the future of the people of Afghanistan. Working in difficult and dangerous environments was part of their mission. We must join with our allies and partners to ensure vital aid flows and gets to where it is needed.

Australians who wish to do their part can lobby their local MPs to take up the cause and those who are able to should continue to support the Australian charities working to end the disaster. While the political crisis is complex and uncertain, Australian development and humanitarian organisations and their partners - both local and international - remain committed to supporting communities in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is now on a countdown to tragedy, living through one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. With no guarantee of a tomorrow, its people are pleading with the international community to act today.

To ensure our efforts thus far are not rendered worthless, Australia must not ignore them.