Afghanistan: Humanitarian Update, October 2024

Highlights:

One Year After the Herat Earthquakes: Afghan Families Still Need Vital Support - Page 1

Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis: Urgent Funding Needed as 2024 Nears End - Page 2

Clearing the Path to Safety: Combating Landmines in Afghanistan - Page 3

One Year After the Herat Earthquakes: Afghan Families Still Need Vital Support

More than a year has passed since three massive earthquakes struck Herat Province, leaving over 275,000 people in urgent need of assistance. The earthquakes, which occurred on October 7, 11 and 15, 2023, devastated 382 villages, resulted in the death of 1,480 people and injured nearly 2,000 others. Homes, health centers, schools and essential infrastructure were destroyed in an instant, further exacerbating the vulnerability of communities already grappling with the aftermath of decades of conflict and economic hardship. With winter rapidly approaching, the outlook is bleak for the 25,000 families who remain without adequate shelter.

Though the humanitarian community mobilized quickly to provide life-saving assistance, the challenges remain significant. The Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) played a crucial role in this effort, allocating a combined total of $14.7 million to support emergency relief initiatives. AHF provided $9.7 million, while CERF contributed $5 million, enabling food, shelter, healthcare and educational support to reach the hardest-hit communities. This coordinated response, alongside the efforts of various humanitarian partners, brought a measure of stability to thousands of families in Herat Province. However, as winter draws closer, significant needs still persist.

Many families continue to struggle in the wake of the earthquakes and have found it hard to recover – both psychologically and materially. One such family is led by Tahmina, a 25-year-old mother from one of the worst-affected villages in Herat. The earthquakes claimed the lives of fourteen members of her family, including her parents, siblings and younger relatives. Her children remain traumatized by the events, with one unable to laugh or walk since that tragic day.

Tahmina’s story reflects the difficulties faced by countless other Afghan familieswho were also affected by the earthquakes. While the initial humanitarian response provided crucial support, the path to recovery is long and complex. Families urgently require permanent housing, consistent access to clean water, income-generating opportunities, healthcare services and educational support to rebuild their lives.

Tahmina is grateful for the assistance she has received, saying, “We are thankful for the support—including temporary shelter and cash assistance, which we could use for heating and clothing, food and health services—we still need a permanent home and more sustainable support, including a regular job and livelihood opportunities to help us stand on our feet.”

Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Crisis: Urgent Funding Needed as 2024 Nears End

As of mid-October 2024, Afghanistan’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) faces a severe funding shortfall, having received only $961.7 million—31.4 per cent of the $3.06 billion required. This $2.09 billion funding gap threatens essential aid programmes as humanitarian needs remain acute due to food insecurity, protracted displacement, recurrent natural disasters and restrictive policies that limit access to services, particularly for women and girls.

In 2024 alone, the DfA issued 97 directives affecting humanitarian action, six of which specifically targeted female participation, compelling humanitarian partners to engage in challenging and time-consuming negotiations. These restrictions pose significant risks by potentially reducing operational space, delaying project timelines and increasing the risks of bureaucratic and administrative impediments. Furthermore, heightened scrutiny and oversight of humanitarian activities raise the risk of violence against aid workers, further compounding the obstacles facing humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan. The promulgation of the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (MoPVPV) Law in August 2024 will likely have ramifications for humanitarian operations in 2025 and to preserve women and girls’ access to humanitarian assistance and services, partners have put in place adaptation and mitigation measures to limit its impact.

From July to September, widespread flash floods impacted more than 18,900 people across 14 provinces, damaging homes, livestock and agricultural assets—vital resources for food security. Additionally, since January 2024, cross-border returns have surged, with over 1.1 million Afghans returning from Iran and Pakistan—243,000 from Pakistan and 825,000 from Iran—adding further strain on limited resources.

The critical funding gap of $2.09 billion includes an urgent $1.09 billion shortfall in healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and shelter sectors. This shortfall has left 3.7 million people without access to primary and secondary healthcare services, while hundreds of thousands of children and pregnant women are missing essential nutritional support. Emergency shelter and sanitation resources are also lacking, leaving thousands affected by floods and earthquakes without long-term housing solutions. Food assistance has been scaled back, excluding entire districts from critical support and increasing the risk of malnutrition.

The Afghanistan humanitarian funding gaps analysis underscores the significance of these shortfalls, detailing funding deficiencies in each sector and cross-cutting areas. It also highlights the expected impact of continued underfunding, emphasizing that supply chains for life-saving items across seven humanitarian clusters are at risk, threatening the delivery of essential services. Key programmes, such as mobile health teams, psychosocial support for children, mine action, food assistance and dignity kits for women and girls, face imminent reductions or closure without immediate funding.

Donors are urgently called upon to provide timely and consistent funding to sustain humanitarian operations and ensure aid reaches those in greatest need. Increased international engagement with Afghan authorities could also facilitate access and support the effective delivery of assistance. Without prompt action to address the critical funding gap, Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis will deepen, leaving millions in precarious and increasingly vulnerable conditions.

Clearing the Path to Safety: Combating Landmines in Afghanistan

Afghanistan remains one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world, grappling with the deadly legacy of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW). Approximately 3.2 million people live within one kilometer of these hazards, with an estimated 1,209 square kilometers of land contaminated by mines, improvised explosive devices and ERW. Among these explosive ordnances, ERW are the leading cause of civilian casualties, disproportionately affecting children, who account for 86 per cent of the 1,401 casualties reported between January 2022 and February 2024. Tragically, over 50 individuals—mostly children—are killed or maimed each month.[1]

The contamination spans 271 districts, jeopardizing access to essential resources such as education, healthcare and clean water. Explosive hazards not only threaten physical safety but also undermine agricultural livelihoods, impacting farmers, herders and vulnerable populations such as refugees and returnees. Survivors of explosive incidents often face lifelong challenges, including severe injuries, post-traumatic stress and social stigma, which hinder their reintegration into communities and place additional burdens on their families.[2]

To combat these pressing issues, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), supported by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), has partnered with the Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation (OMAR) to undertake extensive mine clearance operations in the north region of Afghanistan. Between May and September 2024, OMAR made remarkable strides in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, removing life-threatening hazards and clearing 1,172,813 square meters of contaminated land while destroying 1,117 explosive devices. Four communities—Saqaw and Tarakhel in Baghlan and Gul Baq and Nekpa-i-Ulya in Kunduz—are now declared free of explosive threats, restoring safety and revitalizing local economies.

The clearing of these areas and the destruction of explosive devices have reopened roads to schools, enabling children to access education without the looming fear of explosives. Families have resumed farming and trade, contributing to their economic recovery. Central to OMAR's mission is their commitment to explosive ordnance risk education (EORE). The organization conducted 324 EORE sessions, reaching 8,149 individuals, with a special focus on women and children. One inspiring story is that of Nazia, a 15-year-old girl who, at seven, suffered devastating injuries from an ERW while gathering firewood. Her participation in OMAR’s EORE session equipped her with essential knowledge to identify and avoid such dangers in the future.

OMAR’s inclusive approach ensures that all community members, regardless of gender, benefit equally from clearance and educational initiatives. With continued support from UNMAS and CERF, the communities of Baghlan and Kunduz provinces are reclaiming their land and rebuilding their lives, laying the foundation for sustainable development and social cohesion.

However, the humanitarian mine action sector is grappling with a critical funding gap, with only about 40 per cent of the 2024 Mine Action Needs and Response Plan funded. With an alarming civilian casualty rate of 50 per month—most of them children—adequate funding is vital to reduce casualties and mitigate the long-term impact on affected communities. This shortfall has severely affected national mine action operators, many of whom have spent years building expertise, forcing several to cease operations.

As a key enabler of safe and inclusive programming, mine action must be prioritized within Afghanistan’s humanitarian and basic human needs responses. Explosive ordnance contamination obstructs humanitarian aid delivery and restricts access to critical resources such as land, roads, water and livelihoods. It directly hinders economic growth and impedes the safe resettlement of Afghan returnees.

Investing in mine action is not just about clearing explosives—it is about securing a safer and more prosperous future for Afghanistan’s communities, fostering hope and resilience in the face of adversity.

[1] Six things to know about mine action in Afghanistan, OCHA. https://www.unocha.org/news/six-things-know-about-mine-action-afghanistan

[2] Afghanistan: Unearthing hope from a legacy of mines, OCHA. https://www.unocha.org/news/afghanistan-unearthing-hope-legacy-mines#:~:text=However%2C%20Afghanistan%27s%20mine%20action%20sector,risk%20education%20and%20survivors%27%20assistance.