Afghanistan: Humanitarian Access Snapshot (June 2023)

Key Highlights

Humanitarian partners continue to observe increased humanitarian access constraints impacting operational environment, with some 182[1] humanitarian access incidents reported in the month of June 2023. The incidents in this reporting period have shown a 69 per cent increase from same time last year, and a 42 per cent increase when compared to the previous month in 2023. The De-facto Authority (DfA) and its Armed Forces were responsible for 98 per cent of these access incidents, predominantly in Central, Southern, and Western regions 953 per cent collectively). Consequently, 120 programs were temporarily suspended, marking a significant three-fold increase from May 2023.

Interference in the implementation of humanitarian activities remained to be the main driver of access constraint in this month, where humanitarian partners reported 135 incidents related to interreferences compared with 90 incidents in the previous month.

The incidents involved ‘interference with Programming’ (113 incidents), ‘interference or attempted interference into beneficiary selection’ (4 incidents), ‘illegal taxation’ (2 incidents), and ‘delays in the signing of memorandum of Understandings (MoUs)’ (4 incidents), ‘interference with staff recruitment’ (4 incidents), and ‘request for staff list and sensitive data’ (8 incidents). As a result of these incidents, 98 programs were temporary suspended, with majority remaining suspended even as of July. The most notable challenge leading to suspension of programs was the DfA’s request to handover of Community-Based Education activities from International NGOs to National NGOs in the national level prior to the to the agreement with the DfAs for phased approached through a span of one year.
Additionally, interference imposed by the DfAs in child protection activities and the Polio campaign has resulted in the suspension of these activities in various areas of the country.

In June, 25 incidents of ‘restriction of movement of agencies, personnel, or goods within the affected country’ where 64 per cent of these restrictions were imposed on women humanitarian workers from participating in humanitarian actions. The barring of women humanitarian staff continues to pose challenges to reach women and children beneficiaries, more specifically through humanitarian service delivery such as protection, and monitoring activities. Despite the two national-level exemptions (health and education) issued, the participation of women humanitarian staff in the humanitarian operation has been partial with conditionalities at the sub-national level. The implementation of these exemptions is limited requiring a strict adherence to mahram and dress code, and segregation of workstations for women and men staff and beneficiaries. Alongside the limitations imposed on humanitarian staff, community members have identified additional challenges in accessing humanitarian services through feedback reporting mechanisms. These challenges include the "lack of women service providers" and the "lack of mahram," as reported by more than 1,196 community members.

The humanitarian response in June was also impacted by violence against humanitarian personnel, assets and facilities, which resulted in the arrests and detention of 9 staff, and physical attacks or violence against humanitarian workers that injured 1 staff. Despite the decline in reported incidents (30 per cent from previous month) relating to violence against aid workers compared to the previous month, these incidents have continued to impact the operational environment, where the safety and security of humanitarian staff are at risk.

OCHA, in collaboration with humanitarian partners and through the Humanitarian Access Group, Regional Humanitarian Teams (RHTs) and support of access working groups (AWGs), will continue to advocate on the importance of women’s participation in the humanitarian action, through the ongoing provincial and district level humanitarian sensitization and other bilateral engagements at the provincial and national level, noting the consequences of their exclusion. The implementation of exemptions will also be monitored to ensure effective reach to the people in need including women and children, through troubleshooting of challenges.