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Afghanistan

Rebuilding Communities in the Aftermath of a Disaster: A Case Study on Integrated Programming

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Afghanistan is facing a complex crisis in which natural disasters and climate-related shocks affect communities already reeling from decades of protracted conflict and compounding crises. Afghanistan is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, ranked the 8th most vulnerable country in the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index due to its high sensitivity and low adaptive capacity. Climate projections available for Afghanistan suggest a future of higher temperatures, reduced rainfall, higher evapotranspiration and increased frequency of extreme events such as droughts, storms, floods, landslides and avalanches.

Located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world, Afghanistan has a long history of earthquakes – particularly in the mountainous Hindu Kush Region bordering Pakistan.In 2022, the number of recorded sudden-onset disasters, such as floods and earthquakes, was higher than preceding years and it is anticipated that this pattern may become the norm moving ahead.2Resulting death tolls areworsened by the often remote locations of natural disasters and associated humanitarian access constraints, as well as the impacts of war, historical lack of investment in infrastructure and natural resource management, and proceeding environmental shocks which have left homes and basic infrastructure in dangerous conditions, susceptible to collapse.