Afghanistan: Humanitarian Response Plan 2023 Response Overview (1 January - 31 October 2023)

OVERVIEW

Between January and October 2023, humanitarian organizations operating in Afghanistan reached 21.3 million individuals with food and livelihood support, 13.7 million with healthcare, 8.9 million with water, sanitation, and hygiene support, 4.8 million children and pregnant/lactating women with nutrition assistance, 2.4 million with protection assistance, 2 million children with education, and 590,000 for emergency shelter and household items.

Overall, the humanitarian response has reached 26.5 million people in 2023, with 22.9 million receiving direct aid. Funding for these efforts relied on $850 million carried over from 2022, supplemented by minimal new funding in 2023 (amounting to $1.23 billion by October). Limited resources resulted in fewer rounds of assistance and reduced rations. Consequently, 18 million individuals in IPC 3+ areas did not receive food aid, and 3.4 million people received half rations, including those in IPC 4 areas.

Bans on Afghan women working for I/NGOs and the UN have added complexity to the already challenging operational and protection environment. Despite these challenges, the humanitarian community is striving for an expanded response, prioritizing quality through risk mitigation and common tools to ensure minimum standards for quality programming.

Given the evolving operational context, the 2023 HRP was revised in May to evaluate the accuracy of initial planning assumptions and make necessary adjustments to the response strategy. In light of the revision, humanitarian partners now aim to reach 21.3 million people with a budget of $3.2 billion throughout 2023, including $2.26 billion to cover unmet needs between June and December.

In the coming months, millions of people who have received assistance will require ongoing support, including tailored packages to address various needs such as food, cash, healthcare, education, suitable shelter, and access to water. As of August, critical supplies for Health, Protection, Nutrition, WASH, and FSAC face pipeline break risks due to funding gaps. Urgent funding is crucial to procure and distribute necessary supplies, manage delays at borders, navigate disruptions in markets, and pre-position relief items in highly affected areas.