OCHA

Afghanistan

Highlights 2011

Revision of 2011 CAP in response to major drought secured $142mn to cover needs of almost three million people in 14 provinces in north, north-east and west of country. The process led to detailed discussions of ‘development deficit’ and the need to introduce long-term measures, including improved water storage and management, alternative crops and changes in livelihood to lessen the impact of future droughts.
Strengthening of the cluster system, including expansion of some clusters to sub-national level and an improvement in inter-cluster coordination were part of an HCT-led campaign for more transparency and accountability in humanitarian operations. Two visits from the Global Food Security Coordinator helped sharpen the identification of cluster’ roles and responsibilities and the tools to be used, which include the introduction of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification in the first six months of 2012.
OCHA’s Civil-Military advocacy helped ISAF develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response, based on IASC Guidelines, confirming OCHA as focal point for humanitarian operations at country and regional levels.

OVERVIEW 2011

Rising insecurity in Afghanistan continued to exact a heavy toll on the civilian population as people fell victim to armed conflict, general intimidation and harassment, tribal disputes and cross-border shelling. These created successive waves of displacement. By the end of 2011, there were 447,000 people displaced as a result of conflict, 45 per cent up on 2010. At the same point, there were 5,700,000 returned refugees, with a further five million still residing in Iran and Pakistan. Reintegration conditions remained extremely difficult, with returnees often lacking basic services, while deteriorating security conditions worsened problems of access for humanitarian workers.

The extreme winter conditions in Afghanistan, along with the country’s vulnerability to flooding and landslides, drought and earthquakes, continue to impact on humanitarian work and generate new needs. The drought declared in July 2011, the eighth in eleven years, affected almost three million people across fourteen provinces in the north, northeast and west of the country.

Through the 2011 Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for Afghanistan, the Humanitarian Country Team requested support of US$582 million which was almost 70 per cent funded in 2011. This funding level was matched by donor contributions to humanitarian programmes outside the CAP.

To meet the expectations of partners in a very fluid environment, OCHA has refocused its attention on core responsibilities: tightening coordination, renovating its information management tools and consolidating humanitarian financing.

As of October 2011, OCHA had proper information management capacity. This has enabled OCHA to collect, filter and disseminate information on administrative and conflict issues and to create effective hazard profiles.

Clusters provided information on priority needs while their own response at district level was mapped and analyzed, enabling better decision-making by the humanitarian community. More than 100 IM products were issued in the fourth quarter, which helped to shape the discussions on 2012 CAP planning whilst also establishing concrete baselines for performance monitoring in the period ahead.

The HCT worked to strengthen accountability and transparency, following up on action points through inter-cluster coordination mechanisms. The humanitarian response to the drought was conducted within the framework of a drought coordination cell established by the Government and saw the first ever emergency food security assessment conducted in Afghanistan. This formed the basis of a governmental and multi-cluster response. During the fourth quarter, the Global Food Security Coordinator visited Afghanistan twice to support a recalibration of the operation of cluster processes and related roles and responsibilities. Preparation was also made for the introduction of the integrated food security phase classification in the first six months of 2012. This approach establishes the baseline for all clusters moving forward. The formation of Regional Humanitarian Team forums in 2011 also supported more effective planning and responsive action at provincial and district levels.

The drought experience also enabled OCHA to lead a more detailed discussion on the issue of a ‘human development deficit’. Eight droughts in eleven years, each requiring a humanitarian response, have highlighted the failure to introduce long-term solutions that go beyond simple relief. For refugees and IDPs, OCHA has supported the work of UNHCR and the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation to develop a regional solutions strategy whereby the focus shifts from emergency relief and assistance towards multi-annual development solutions which support reintegration into communities. Advocacy for progress on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal targets in Afghanistan, which have been postponed from 2015 to 2020, is a key intervention towards addressing the root cause of population needs.

The use of international military actors to provide “assistance” through Provincial Reconstruction Teams has resulted in uneven resource allocation country-wide and a blurring of the delicate lines between military and humanitarian action. In response, OCHA Civil-Military Coordination advocated at central, regional and local levels to ensure clear lines of communication were established, while pushing successfully with ISAF to issue its SOP on humanitarian assistance and disaster response. These commit ISAF to compliance with IASC guidelines, and improved communication and information-sharing mechanisms.

Tightening financial management was another OCHA priority. OCHA worked closely with UN agencies, NGO and donors to make humanitarian spending more accountable and to highlight financing mechanisms outside the CAP. OCHA ensured the formation of the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) Advisory Board and updated its Terms of Reference to better reflect the needs of donors and participating NGOs at times of acute needs.

The Food Security Cluster provided valuable lessons on operational coordination in the fourth quarter, clarifying roles, responsibilities and tools with humanitarian partners and the relevant GoIRA authorities. A cluster functionality matrix will be developed to monitor effectiveness and identify best practices and gaps. A dedicated OCHA inter-cluster coordinator will be appointed to ensure the coherence of the cluster approach, fostering links between clusters and enhancing communication between coordination mechanisms at Kabul and at regional level.

Effective information management should include provincial matrices, documenting humanitarian caseloads, basic services, access levels, seasonal hazards and contact list-information networks. All are necessary to get a proper understanding of both humanitarian and development needs. Having real-time access to this information is crucial for decision-making by the Government, HCT, the Humanitarian Donor Group and other key forums throughout the programme cycle.

Humanitarian appeals in Afghanistan have varied hugely in scale and scope over the past decade as a result of the blurring between humanitarian, development and recovery interventions and have also been supplemented by other humanitarian financing instruments. The 2012 CAP has refocused on core humanitarian objectives and a monthly reporting system that will seek greater transparency. Addressing gender issues will be part of that process. In 2012, the coding applied to individual projects under the Gender Marker system will be monitored to determine the level of equitable access to assistance and protection each projects for women, girls, boys and men. The results will hopefully improve the integrity and consistency of the coding system.

The ongoing military transition in Afghanistan is expected to have a negative impact on the outlook for both humanitarian and development work between now and 2014. The anticipated socio-economic shocks associated with military withdrawal and the related reduction of the currently high rates of external assistance raise serious questions about the sustainability of basic services and the welfare of those who benefit from them. With or without the background of conflict, these shocks pose significant risks, with real concerns that the acute needs of the chronically vulnerable will not be met and will require increased humanitarian intervention.

WORKPLAN 2011

GOAL 1: A more enabling environment for humanitarian action.
Objective 1.2 Relationships strengthened with a wider group of operational partners and other relevant actors in advanced humanitarian action.
INDICATOR	OCHA is a member of the relevant integrated UN planning mechanisms (UNCT, Integrated Strategic Framework, IM/Analysis Unit).
ACHIEVEMENTS	OCHA ensured senior representation at the weekly SMT, and at the Transition Task Force, UNDAF and UN Integrated Strategic Framework (ISF) processes and multiple regional-level forums. OCHA has ensured that ISF humanitarian matters are referred to the CAP 2011. IM Analysis Unit fully established.
INDICATOR	UN ISF reflects humanitarian principles, issues and relevant humanitarian priorities, as identified by the humanitarian community. It clarifies an appropriate division of labour/distinction between the UN’s political and humanitarian efforts.
ACHIEVEMENTS	OCHA engaged weekly with international and national security for civil-military relations. OCHA engaged with international military frequently and has participated in pre-deployment training for key stakeholders at ISAF and IJC HQs. OCHA has also initiated dialogue with the Afghanistan National Defense Forces regarding humanitarian concerns. OCHA led a process to establish key contingency plans in-country. It also established a process by which humanitarian partners review the contingency plans once every three months.

GOAL 2: A more effective humanitarian coordination system
Objective 2.1 Effective mechanisms that manage and support accountable humanitarian coordination leaders.
INDICATOR	Established and functioning operational inter-cluster forums at capital and regional levels.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Eight clusters, three sub-clusters at national level all established, but capacity issues remain a concern in some clusters. Cluster roll-out at the regional level is inconsistent and cluster capacities remain minimal. 100 per cent completion rate of ToR for national clusters.
INDICATOR	Percentage of agenda issues addressed by strategic-level HCT that are submitted by operational-level inter-cluster coordination (ICC) forums.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Since February, the HCT agenda is first reviewed by participants of the inter-cluster coordination meeting. Sixty-six per cent of HCT agendas were reviewed at a humanitarian NGO coordination meeting in advance of the HCT. OCHA facilitated the format development of the monthly cluster report and administers monthly reports to the HC by the clusters. The cluster reporting system was redefined in terms of priorities. The Government is abreast of the cluster work through cluster collaboration with relevant ministries.
INDICATOR	Percentage of inter-cluster, cluster and cross-cutting recommendations issued by HCT that are implemented at operational level.
ACHIEVEMENTS	OCHA ensured that HCT policies and guidance were implemented at operational levels. 100 per cent completion rate.
Objective 2.2 An OCHA capable of responding quickly with clear triggers for establishing, phasing and drawing down operations.
INDICATOR	Country Office Strategy developed including planning indicators in consultation with partners and projected multi-year cost planning.
ACHIEVEMENTS	2012-2013 strategy approved by HQ.
Objective 2.3 A more predictable and scalable suite of OCHA services and tools to support leaders and partners in response preparedness, humanitarian response and transition.
INDICATOR	Country operations reviewed against minimum services list.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The Country Office reviewed its operations during the drafting of its Country Strategy and is fully compliant with the minimum services required by the Policy Instruction.
INDICATOR	Percentage of key OCHA tools (contingency plans, CAP/flash appeals, sit reps) using sex- and age-disaggregated data.
ACHIEVEMENTS	OCHA is working with the CSO, UNFPA, other governmental agencies and humanitarian partners to update the available population data derived from the 1979 census with more detailed sex-and age-disaggregated data whenever possible. One example is the access to health care and basic education maps developed as part of the 2012 CAP process.
Objective 2.4 A more systematic humanitarian programme cycle (needs assessment and analysis, joint planning, fund-raising and resource allocation, and monitoring and evaluation).
INDICATOR	Needs-assessment plan developed and endorsed by HCT.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The common needs-assessment plan including MIRA has been under discussion and review in Afghanistan since April 2011. The IASC NATF led a mission that included workshops for the broader national clusters and NGO community. Next steps include confirming secondary data for use by each cluster and completion by a local rapid-assessment team to complete a common questionnaire format per sudden-onset hazard type and related operational guidelines.
INDICATOR	Sixty-five per cent of projects in the funding mechanism (CAP, ERF) coded with the Gender Marker.
ACHIEVEMENTS	The ERF guidelines were reviewed by the newly established ERF Advisory Board to include reference to integrating gender considerations and coding under the Gender Marker system. In 2012, a GenCap Adviser will provide guidance to the ERF Manager on how to review the gender component and apply a Gender Marker code to ERF projects. 2012 CAP: 143 of 146 projects were gender coded. The total appeal amount for 2012 is $437 million, of which $415 million is gender coded. Thirty-seven per cent of the requested funds are for projects that are designed to contribute significantly to gender equality, or whose principal purpose is to advance gender equality.
INDICATOR	Eighty per cent of total projects submitted prioritized as “high” in compliance with HCT-endorsed methodology.
ACHIEVEMENTS	Multiple methodologies employed by context, variety of access. Most CAP projects (84 per cent of requested funds) are high-priority projects. Improved review rate for ERF proposals in accordance with guidelines. An advisory board was formed in November 2011.

A woman waits for food assistance near an informal settlement area for IDPs in Kabul, Afghanistan. © Mohammad Popal/IRIN