Afghanistan: Humanitarian Response Plan 2022 Response Overview (1 January - 31 December 2022)

OVERVIEW

Between January and December 2022, humanitarian partners reached at least 22.3 million people with food and livelihoods support; 13.3 million people with access to health care (consultations and treatment); 6.2 million children and pregnant and lactating women with support to prevent and address acute malnutrition; 11 million people with water, sanitation and hygiene assistance; 554,400 children with access to education and education materials; 2 million people with emergency shelter and household items; and 5.7 million people with protection assistance.

In total, humanitarian partners have reached 26.1 million people throughout 2022 with at least one form of assistance. The expanded reach has been predominantly achieved through blanket distributions – such as soaps, aqua tabs and teaching and learning materials – targeting vulnerable communities across large geographical areas and prevention and mitigation activities – such as awareness raising, counselling, explosive ordinance risk education, and hygiene promotion). For most Clusters, these activities constitute more than half of their total response reach.

In reality, millions of people who received one form of assistance will continue to require multiple rounds of support over the course of the year to survive. This often includes more tailored packages – from food, cash and nutritious supplies; to treatment and recovery; case management; access to education, dignified shelter options (e.g, repaired homes); and access to water, to mention a few – designed specifically to meet individual and/or household needs in a more comprehensive manner.

Response was enabled by a combination of new funding in 2022 (US$2.1 billion) and funds carried over from 2021 ($542 million). However, $1.8 billion (40 per cent) of the $4.4 billion required to deliver humanitarian assistance in 2022 remains unfunded. Despite the historic scale of response so far in 2022 (including in previously inaccessible areas), underfunding has meant that people’s needs were not reduced and they have not been able to start the path towards stability and independence. In fact, there are more people today in Afghanistan who rely on humanitarian assistance as the only source of survival.

The outlook remains grim with climate forecasts indicating an imminent triple dip La Niña phenomenon to extend the dry-spell / drought-like conditions for the third year in a row. This is on the backdrop of surging urban debt, financial constraints and rural inability to access services, with a notable reduction in access to water. Meanwhile, external factors (e.g. war in Ukraine and floods in Pakistan) are driving commodity prices even higher.

Partners will make concerted efforts to provide more integrated support in underserved areas, in line with the nature and scale of multi-sectoral needs now present while considering seasonal risks. The humanitarian community’s ability to continue to stay and deliver life-saving assistance will be contingent on flexible funds, enabling financial systems and assurances of aid worker safety and principled humanitarian response. This includes ensuring that women are able to participate in society both as people in need of assistance and humanitarian staff to enable humanitarians to reach 50 per cent of the population.