Attachments
Highlights
• Between November 2021 and March 2022, further deterioration in food security is expected, with the number of people in need reaching 22.8 million. This marks a 37% increase in the number of Afghans facing acute hunger since the assessment issued in April 2021.
• An estimated 30,000 children under-five suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were provided with lifesaving treatment services through mobile teams and Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) health facilities across the country.
• The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) welcomed the defacto authority’s decision to support polio vaccination which will start on November 8th across Afghanistan, reaching 10 million children.
Situation in Numbers
18.4 M People in need of humanitarian assistance (HRP 2021)
18.8 M People food insecure (IPC October 2021)
9,700,000 children in need of humanitarian assistance
682,981 Internally displaced people since January 2021(18 October 2021)
Funding Overview and Partnerships
In 2021, UNICEF requested US$ 192 million to provide life-saving services to 6.1 million people, including 5.7 million children. Funds currently available amount to US$138.8 million, with some sections receiving additional funding to maintain services. Beyond this, the remaining funding gap stands at 38%, affecting mostly the WASH and nutrition sectors as well interventions using cash-based modalities. Public donors, international financial institutions, and private donors through the UNICEF family of National Committees, have contributed funding to UNICEF Afghanistan’s humanitarian response. This includes but is not limited to key donors such as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), European Union (EU), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF), the Governments of Denmark, Japan, Sweden and Canada, and nexus funding from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Education Cannot Wait (ECW). UNICEF expresses its sincere gratitude to all donors.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Report (Sept 2021-Mar 2022) was released, indicating that more than half the population of Afghanistan, a record 22.8 million people, will face acute food insecurity from November 2021. More than one in two Afghans are estimated to face crisis (IPC Phase 3) or emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity, including 3.2 million children under-five estimated to suffer from acute malnutrition by the end of the year. Severe drought conditions continue throughout the country with 53% of water points drying up due to drought in Badghis, Faryab and Ghor provinces.
From 1 January to 18 October 2021, more than 682,981 people have been internally displaced among which 59% are children under 18 years.2 Outbreaks of measles (24,471 cases), dengue fever (383 cases) and acute watery diarrhoea (3,016 cases) and a cluster of malaria cases (136) continue to overwhelm struggling health services. As winter continues to approach, high altitude locations such as Bamyan, Ghazni, Nuristan, Wardak and Paktya drive the need for provision of life saving winter assistance for most households. Without support for winter clothing, blankets and a sustained fuel source for heating, households in need will face significant uncertainties in the winter, potentially increasing negative coping mechanisms, such as early marriage and child labour. Plans for snow clearance, a task previously undertaken by the government, remain unclear as no specific financial allocation has been made available for contractors. Without this critical service in the provinces, roads to the districts will be closed leaving large populations without access to basic services