Attachments
KEY DISPLACEMENT FIGURES
3.25M Estimated internally displaced persons (IDPs) by conflict within Afghanistan as of 31 December 2022
32,424 conflict induced IDPs between 10 April to 13 Sep. 2022
5.2M Refugees and asylum-seekers from Afghanistan in neighbouring countries as of 31 December 2022
1.6M Afghan new arrivals to neighbouring Countries since August 2021
52,160 Refugees and asylum-seekers in Afghanistan as of 31 December 2022
366 IDP returnees recorded so far in 2023
1,631 Refugee returns to Afghanistan in 2023 as of 30 April
HIGHLIGHTS
-
On 4 April, the UN was notified by the de facto authorities (DfA) in Afghanistan that, with immediate effect, no Afghan woman is permitted to work for the UN in Afghanistan. This decision extends the directive previously announced in late-December, banning Afghan women working for national and international non-governmental organizations. Women play an integral role in the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and this latest order will result in more suffering and hardship for millions of Afghans, especially women and children who need this assistance. Since coming to power in August 2021, the DfA has also banned women and girls from attending school beyond year six, women from travelling more than 45 miles (72 km) without a male chaperone “mahram,” women and girls from public places such as parks, gyms and public baths, and women from attending universities.
-
The latest ban has received widespread global condemnation, including from the UN Secretary General and UN in Afghanistan, culminating in UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2681 adopted by the UNSC on 27 April 2023. Reiterating the indispensable role played by Afghan women in society, the Resolution called on the DfA to allow for their the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in public life and for the swift reversal of policies and practices that restrict their human rights and fundamental freedoms including related to women’s access to education, employment, and freedom of movement. The Resolution also noted that Afghanistan’s peace, security, and its longterm development could not be realized without participation of women who make up over half of the population.
Similar sentiments were echoed in a UNDP study on the Afghanistan’s 2023 Socio-Economic Outlook which indicated that despite some improvements in 2022, prospects for the country’s recovery remain grim without continuity in girls’ education and women’s ability to work. While engaging the de facto authorities to seek an immediate reversal, the UN will endeavour to continue lifesaving, time-critical humanitarian activities in line with the humanitarian principles and criteria outlined by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee in January 2023. -
In March 2023, UNHCR and humanitarian partners launched the 2023 Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the Afghanistan Situation with requirements of $613 million to support 7.9 million people: 5.2 million Afghans and 2.7 million members of their local host communities in Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. As of mid-May, the plan is just 13 per cent funded. A separate UN-wide plan was also launched to respond to the growing humanitarian needs inside Afghanistan. That plan seeks $4.62 billion for some 23.7 million Afghans in 2023. Against the backdrop of an ongoing funding crisis in Afghanistan, the HRP has received only $331 million – just over 7 per cent – of the total funding required by mid-April. UNHCR’s 2023 response in Afghanistan is 27 per cent funded.
-
RRP partners recently released the RRP 2022 end-of-year report. Despite being only 52 per cent funded shortfall, UNHCR and some 40 partners joined efforts to provide protection services and multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance to some 6.2 million Afghans and their neighbouring host communities. Notable achievements include the construction or rehabilitation of 54 schools (17 of which were newly constructed) and 15 health facilities in Iran and verification of 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan by the Government of Pakistan in conjunction with UNHCR.
-
Some 247,000 Afghan refugee families have been reached across Pakistan through a one-time cash assistance programme launched in February 2023 with a total of PKR 4.78bn distributed. This assistance is being provided in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan and targets refugees who are not eligible to access the social safety nets offered to Pakistani citizens. Afghan refugees enrolled in the programme receive up to PKR 25,000 (approx. $89), which is adjusted depending on the family size. The initiative is modelled on the Government’s emergency cash programme for vulnerable Pakistani families affected by the unprecedented monsoon rains. To ensure Afghan refugees receive sufficient information, support and guidance to access this assistance, UNHCR employed a wide range of physical and virtual outreach tools, including helpdesks, information materials published in English, Urdu, Pashtun and Dari, SMS alerts and social media. In addition, UNHCR released a video in English and Urdu as a way of amplifying this oneoff assistance. This type of assistance is part of ongoing efforts by UNHCR to expand the systematic use of cash-based interventions across operations to support protection and solutions outcomes and service delivery – in line with UNHCR’s Policy on Cash-Based Interventions 2022 – 2026 and the Grand Bargain commitments made during the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. The remainder of this programme will be implemented by the end of May.