Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- Children are highly vulnerable to recurrent natural hazards in Pakistan, which ranks fifth globally in climate risks,1 and to recurrent and simultaneous human-induced crises. Climate change, gender inequalities, food insecurity, 2 high malnutrition3 and political and economic instability compound the impacts of these disasters.
- Pakistan hosts more than 3 million4 Afghans of varying legal status, who require access to basic services, further constraining limited available resources.
- UNICEF remains committed to supporting the Government in preparing for and responding to the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable populations, including strengthening climate resilience at the national and provincial levels.
- UNICEF is appealing for $140.9 million to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Pakistani and Afghan populations in Pakistan. This includes $41.6 million for the nutrition emergency, $59.8 million for potential humanitarian responses,5 $34.5 million for refugee and host community support and $5 million for disaster risk reduction, preparedness and resilience-building.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
The people of Pakistan face multidimensional deprivations that leave them extremely vulnerable to recurrent and sudden-onset shocks. Climate change contributes to Pakistan being one of the world’s most risk-prone countries, which significantly exacerbates vulnerabilities, especially for women and children. Seasonal changes disrupt food security, causing malnutrition and stunted growth, especially in marginalized communities.12 Floods displace families, destroy homes, schools and health facilities and impede access to safe water and sanitation, increasing disease risks.
The interplay of all these circumstances threatens children's well-being and their future prospects and necessitates greater investment in gender-equitable climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and increased resilience of essential social services.13 The catastrophic floods of 2022, which affected 33 million people (half of them children), provided clear evidence of the need for investing in solutions that reduce the impact of disasters, focusing on vulnerability and inequality and investing in climate change adaptation efforts that reduce disruptions to the country and its children’s growth and development.
Pakistan also grapples with severe food insecurity and persistently high global acute malnutrition rates. Approximately 16 per cent of the population is food insecure15 and lacks access to essential services, including health care and nutrition, further exacerbating nutritional challenges. Children, in particular, are extremely vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition, which can result in stunted growth, developmental issues and a weakened immune system. Pakistan's global acute malnutrition rate stands at 17.7 per cent,16 which exceeds the emergency threshold. The severe wasting rate is 6 per cent, and notably higher in children aged 6–59 months. The nutrition of women and girls is of particular concern because high rates of malnutrition put them at risk and also negatively affect birth outcomes. If urgent action is not taken to address this protracted nutrition emergency, the under-five mortality rate could rise.
The presence and prolonged stay of Afghan populations, who have been in Pakistan for more than four decades, adds an additional load to an already overburdened system. Pakistan currently hosts around 3 million Afghans (49 per cent of them children), and provides them with access to essential services. Afghans are mostly concentrated in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, provinces where there are high levels of multidimensional poverty – further depeending the inequities Afghans experience. The continued uncertainty around government efforts to repatriate undocumented Afghans, and potentially Afghans of other legal status, have created increased uncertainty among Afghan populations. Afghan women and girls are especially vulnerable under these conditions.