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An estimated 23.7 million people–more than half of Afghanistan’s population–require humanitarian assistance.
Currently, 12.4 million people in Afghanistan are food insecure, including 2.9 million people experiencing emergency levels of hunger—what is otherwise referred to as Integrated Phase Classification 4.4 Some 6.3 million people are internally displaced and living in precarious and sub-standard conditions without access to adequate shelter or essential services. As of September 2024, 700 000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition lack access to vital treatment, including 27 600 children who need inpatient care.
Forty years of pervasive conflict has resulted in multiple waves of forced displacement within Afghanistan and across its borders, while recurring natural disasters have prompted further displacement. The latter part of 2023 witnessed the return of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans and refugees from Pakistan, triggered by a new policy affecting an estimated 1.3 million Afghans. The returnee population also adds to the existing 6.3 million internally displaced Afghan nationals, who often reside in the same locations. This hinders communities’ capacity in areas of return to integrate returnees and exacerbates overall protection situation, further hindering the access to limited resources and services.
However, despite the on-going crises, the 2024 Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) is severely underfunded, having received only US $755 million, around 25% of the initial request. This shortfall comes at a time when 23.7 million people need humanitarian assistance and the country is grappling with stubbornly high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, widespread explosive ordnance contamination, flooding events, disease outbreaks and the effects of climate change.
Afghanistan is grappling with significant health challenges marked by a fragile healthcare system and unequal access to services, particularly in rural areas. This is due to issues such as transportation difficulties, shortage of healthcare professionals, and limited access to quality healthcare services.10 Outbreaks of communicable diseases, maternal and child health issues, malnutrition, and noncommunicable diseases contribute significantly to mortality and morbidity rates. There is a looming threat of disease outbreaks, including acute watery diarrhea (AWD), measles, Polio, Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), dengue fever, COVID-19, pertussis, and malaria.
Trauma cases remain prevalent due to explosive ordinance contamination, sporadic explosions, and road traffic accidents. Psychosocial distress affects half the population, with one in five individuals experiencing impaired daily functioning due to traumatic events. Winter conditions exacerbate health problems, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, leading to respiratory infections.
Incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care continues to take place in Afghanistan, coming under attack at least 109 times in 2023. These incidents occurred against the backdrop of increasing humanitarian needs with two-thirds of the country’s population in need of humanitarian aid, restrictive laws and policies severely limiting women’s and girls’ access to basic services and public life, shrinking humanitarian space that restricts aid delivery and a USD 1 billion funding gap.
The fragile Afghan economy, heavily reliant on humanitarian aid and remittances, faces challenges exacerbated by the exclusion of women from economic activities.The economic downturn following the political transition in August 2021 – which coincided with a suspension of large-scale bilateral development cooperation on which the Republic depended – has exacerbated underlying fragilities, including limited livelihood opportunities for both urban and rural populations alike. The latter part of 2023 witnessed the return of hundreds of thousands of undocumented Afghans and refugees from Pakistan, triggered by a new policy affecting an estimated 1.3 million Afghans. A surge in returns is expected to continue, with projections indicating over 1.46 million Afghans from Pakistan and Iran will return in 2024.
Finally, October 2024 marks one year since devastating earthquakes struck Afghanistan. The multiple 6.3- magnitude earthquakes upended the lives of 48 000 families. Around 1 480 people were reportedly killed and 1 950 people reportedly injured. Over 90% of those reportedly killed were women and children. Many families were forced into tents with few resources to survive.