Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2022

2022 in Review

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN

The 2022 Afghanistan HRP responded to unprecedented levels of needs among women, men, boys and girls. Years of compounded crises and under-investment had resulted in nearly four times the number of people in need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance compared with just three years earlier. Some 24.4 million people had humanitarian needs – more than half the population.

24.4M
PEOPLE IN NEED

22.1M
PEOPLE TARGETED

$4.4B
FUNDING REQUIREMENT

HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT

Humanitarian situation in 2022

Following four decades of war, the withdrawal of international forces, then takeover of the country by Taliban de facto authorities in August 2021, and an already dire situation of increasing hunger, economic decline, price increases in food and other essential needs, rising poverty, the people of Afghanistan faced a severe deterioration of the humanitarian and protection situation in 2022. The takeover of the country by the Taliban ushered in a new era characterized by exclusion of half the population – women and girls – from public life. Since, the population of Afghanistan faces economic challenges, inflation driven also by global commodity shocks, a drastic rise in both urban and rural poverty, and a near collapse of the national public health care system.

The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance increased from 24.4 million at the start of 2022, to a staggering 28.3 million people by the end of the year, affecting two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population. While in previous years, humanitarian needs were largely driven by armed conflict, the key drivers of humanitarian need in 2022 were increasingly due to climate change and economic crisis.

Prolonged drought conditions

Afghanistan experienced its second consecutive year of drought, compounded by increasingly irregular rainfall patterns and reduced snow cover, which led to a shift in flooding patterns, causing additional damage and disrupting agriculture (with secondary consequences for food, nutrition, education, protection, health, displacement, etc.). Drought as the most frequently reported ‘shock’ in 2022 resulting in drying of surface water sources, springs, and a significant drop in groundwater levels. Due to this, the proportion of households experiencing barriers to accessing safe water rose from 48 per cent in 2021 to 60 per cent in 2022.

Effects of climate change

Afghanistan is highly prone to natural hazards, whose frequency and intensity increase due to effects of climate change, thereby compounding already existing humanitarian needs.

In 2022, Afghanistan ranked the third country most at risk of humanitarian crisis due to structural conditions. The number of atypical sudden onset disasters further increased in 2022. Afghanistan is the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change and considered the least prepared to adapt to its impact.

In 2022, unseasonal weather patterns affected traditional livelihoods and settlements, requiring substantial adaptations and expansions of infrastructure, particularly of water management.

Sudden-onset disasters – floods and earthquakes

Afghanistan experienced several natural disasters between January and August 2022, affecting over 228,000 people in 33 out of 34 provinces. Three major earthquakes caused loss of life and severe damage to houses and property in Badghis Province, Afghanistan’s southeastern region, and in Kunar Province. In addition, unseasonal flooding occurred between July and September, affecting 21 provinces. The surge in atypical floods caused substantial disruption, affecting crops before harvest, and otherwise disrupting regular cycles.

Economic crisis

Afghanistan’s economic crisis is widespread and more than half of all households experienced economic shocks, mostly in the second half of 2022. This led to a reduced access to food and families taking on debt. Following the takeover of the country by the Taliban, the economy went into freefall, further resulting in disruption of markets, financial and trade mechanisms.

Although food and commodity prices seemed to stabilize during the second half of 2022, high levels of unemployment and increased inflation caused average household debts to increase, reducing coping mechanisms and thwarting the already fragile Afghanistan’s economy to adapt to shocks. People’s ability to access cash savings, to carry out personal and business transactions and access international markets became severely limited. Dwindling in-country capital reserves affected importation, affordability and availability of food, medicine, and basic supplies.

Food insecurity and malnutrition

The impact of the harsh winter (November - February) and the lean season, sustained high food prices, reduced income, increased unemployment, and continued economic decline contributed to growing food insecurity at household level and adoption of negative coping mechanisms such as reduced food intake. At the end of 2022, 17 million people faced acute hunger, with 6 million people in emergency levels of food insecurity. One step away from famine and amongst the highest figures globally. An estimated 4.7 million people suffered from acute malnutrition in 2022, including 1.1 million children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM), 2.8 million children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), and over 800,000 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) suffering acute malnutrition.

Women and girls: protection and exclusion

The Women Peace and Security (WPS) Index identified Afghanistan to be the worst place globally to live in as a woman or girl. Entities that previously catered for the specific needs of women and girls, such as the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, were abolished and numerous restrictions were placed on the ability of women to partake in all aspects of life, reducing also the ability of humanitarian organizations to support them.

Disease outbreaks

Life-threatening diseases such as acute watery diarrhoea (AWD), cholera and measles, combined with lack of safe water, limited access to health facilities, poor hygiene, and sanitation continued to affect hundreds of thousands of people. These factors resulted in numerous additional disease outbreaks across Afghanistan, including dengue fever, pertussis, Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) and Malaria.

In 2022, 613 sentinel health sites reported 237,258 cases of AWD, 207,047 cases of COVID-19, 75,927 cases of measles, 946 cases of pertussis and 386 cases of CCHF. In the first nine months of 2022, two wild polio cases and one vaccine derived Poliovirus Type 2 were reported. Considering the protracted crisis in Afghanistan, most health facilities infrastructure remained vulnerable and there were fewer qualified healthcare workers due to migration, restrictions placed on women to move freely and to be employed, as well as reduced funds available to pay salaries and to keep health facilities operational.

Internal displacement

Internally displaced people (IDPs) and returnees experienced very high levels of insecurity, including threat of forced evictions. Repeated displacement meant many IDPs and returnees continued to live in informal settlements for five years or more. At the same time, displaced people were exposed to drought, flooding, and earthquake-related risks. IDPs, notably women, children, and female-headed households continue to live in crowded settlements, exposed to protection risks including gender-based violence (GBV).

Access constraints

The takeover by the Taliban in August 2021 necessitated increased dialogue and negotiations to implement principled humanitarian action.

Over 1,300 access incidents were reported by humanitarian partners, out of which 75 per cent related to de-facto authorities. Interference in humanitarian programming surged particularly in September 2022, following the launch of new procedures regarding the coordination of activities of humanitarian organizations by the de-facto authorities. Since then, more than 128 directives and instructions (17 per cent related to women) with direct implications for humanitarian operations were issued and had to be negotiated.