Attachments
In Numbers
12.4 million people are projected to be acutely food-insecure between May and October 2024, including
2.4 million people in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 4 (emergency).
3.9 million people are acutely malnourished, including 2.8 million children under the age of 5.
23.7 million people require humanitarian assistance in 2024.
Highlights
Since the ratification of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) on 21 August, which imposes stringent restrictions on Afghan women and men, WFP has observed with concern an increasing level of scrutiny of the humanitarian activities of international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Although WFP operations have not been significantly affected, the agency continues to monitor the situation and is engaging proactively with the de facto authorities to ensure the safety and protection of its staff, cooperating partners (CPs), and beneficiaries.
Situation Update
• Food security in Afghanistan has been improving over the last years. The number of people experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) has fallen to 12.4 million in 2024, down from 15.3 million in 2023.
• Favourable rainfall in March and April 2024 supported near-average production of wheat, rice, maize, and orchard fruits, boosting food availability. Additionally, harvests from lowland and highland regions have increased market supply, particularly for wheat, easing food consumption gaps in several provinces.
• Consistent food imports and the appreciation of the Afghani currency helped stabilize prices for staples like wheat and rice. In September, WFP’s market monitoring recorded a decline in the prices of key food commodities and fertilizers, influenced by the country’s year-long deflation, and a drop in global food prices. However, prices remain significantly higher compared to the preCOVID period and the month of June 2021, before the political changes in the country.
• Despite these improvements, challenges such as low employment rate, reduced incomes and limited access to agricultural inputs remain. Many households continue to struggle to afford basic necessities. Poverty impacts one in two Afghans.
• Thousands of Afghans are being repatriated from neighbouring countries and are in dire need of assistance.
The political situation remains unstable, with the DFA doubling down on efforts to curtail the rights of women, making it challenging to attract funding for the humanitarian and development needs of vulnerable Afghans.