Afghanistan: Humanitarian Response Plan 2023 Response Overview (1 January - 31 July 2023)

OVERVIEW

Between January and July 2023, humanitarian organizations operating in Afghanistan provided assistance to 22.6 million individuals for food and livelihood,

9.7 million for healthcare, 3.5 million children and pregnant/lactating women for malnutrition, 6.8 million for water, sanitation, and hygiene, 2 million children for education, 413,000 for emergency shelter and household items, and 1.8 million for protection.

In total, the humanitarian response in 2023 has reached 26.3 million people, with 23.9 million receiving direct aid. The funding for these efforts relied on $850 million carried over from 2022, supplemented by minimal new funding in 2023 (amounting to $861 million by July). Due to limited resources, there were fewer rounds of assistance and reduced rations. Consequently, 18 million individuals in IPC 3+ areas did not receive food aid, and 3.4 million people received half rations, including those in IPC 4 areas.

Bans on Afghan women working for international and non-governmental organizations (I/NGOs) and the United Nations (UN) have added complexity to the already challenging operational and protection environment. Despite these challenges, the humanitarian community is striving for an expanded response, prioritizing quality through risk mitigation and common tools to ensure minimum standards for quality programming.

Given the evolving operational context, the 2023 HRP was revised in May. The purpose of this revision was to evaluate the accuracy of initial planning assumptions and make necessary adjustments to the response strategy. In light of the revision, humanitarian partners now aim to continue assisting 21.3 million people with a budget of $3.2 billion throughout 2023. This allocation includes $2.26 billion to cover unmet needs between June and December.

In the coming months, millions of people who have received assistance will require ongoing support, including tailored packages to address various needs such as food, cash, healthcare, education, suitable shelter, and access to water. As of July, critical supplies for ES-NFI, WASH, and FSAC face pipeline break risks due to funding gaps, particularly pulses, wheat flour, and vegetable oil. Urgent funding is crucial to procure and distribute necessary supplies, manage delays at borders, navigate disruptions in markets, and pre-position relief items in highly affected areas.