Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
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Afghanistan continues to experience concurrent crises including drought-like conditions, floods, insecurity, harsh winters, political and economic instability, and displacement, all of which pose serious risks.
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Some 29.2 million people are projected to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023.
The economic crisis is expected to continue, with 64 per cent of households unable to meet their basic needs as vulnerable populations are pushed to the brink. -
Afghan women and girls face a worsening systematic rights crisis. Their exclusion from secondary and tertiary education, coupled with the ban on Afghan women from working with non-governmental organizations and the United Nations, has significantly increased protection risks for vulnerable women and children. The impacts will be felt for generations to come.
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The operating environment remains complex, with bureaucratic impediments increasing and humanitarian space shrinking. However, UNICEF remains committed to staying and delivering life-saving activities in underserved areas focusing on WASH, health, nutrition, education, and child protection
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In 2023, US$1.45 billion is urgently needed and without this funding, the humanitarian needs of 19 million people in Afghanistan will remain unmet.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, women and girls have experienced a series of restrictive measures curtailing basic freedoms and income-earning opportunities, creating barriers to accessing services, and excluding them from secondary and tertiary education. In 2023, the situation deteriorated further through the barring of Afghan women working for international and national non-government organizations and United Nations agencies. This systematic erasure of women and girls from public life will have devastating effects on Afghanistan and Afghan children, impacting generations to come.
Negotiated local and national exemptions for female staff to work, which provide a lifeline for the continuation of humanitarian services, exist in a state of fragility. The slightest interruption in service delivery could potentially lead to dire consequences for an already vulnerable population. In addition, bureaucratic impediments imposed by the de-facto authorities have increased since 2023 and are anticipated to increase further, further straining a complex operating environment.
While needs remain mostly static, analysis indicates a worsening protection environment and increased vulnerabilities of girls and women due to restrictions on female humanitarian workers. The number of people in need of protection services has risen from 20.3 million to 22.1 million, most notably in specialized protection services.Approximately 8.7 million children need education support and negative coping mechanisms remain commonplace, with 31 per cent of households reporting at least one child out of school and reported increases of 7 per cent in child labor as a coping strategy.Despite marginal increases in the food security outlook, over 15 million people are projected to be in crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity during the period of May to October 2023.
While the health and nutrition situation remains the same, the precarious nature of exemptions and the restrictive environment could potentially result in a reduction in the number of people, particularly women, and children, accessing health and nutrition services. In a context where 17 out of 34 provinces are reporting severe wasting,and 13.3 million people have no access to health care, any disruptions in services will have dire consequences for populations already at high risk.
WASH needs have remained at a record high with 50 per cent of the population lacking access to safe water, and 26 per cent lacking access to improved latrines.The ban on female humanitarian staff poses significant challenges in the delivery of critical WASH services, particularly in hygiene promotion. The risk of AWD/cholera is increasing significantly, and hygiene promotion remains a key activity in combatting the spread of communicable diseases and reducing morbidity and mortality, particularly among children.
Afghanistan is ranked number 5 of the countries that are most climate at-risk worldwide, with a higher warming rate than the global average.Floods, drought-like conditions, and other natural hazards are widespread, and coupled with a complex operating environment and severe underfunding, the possibility of famine cannot be excluded.