Protection Monitoring and Assistance and Housing, Land and Property (HLP) rights for vulnerable persons in Western and Northern Afghanistan
Protection Cluster AHF 1st standard Allocation Forty years of conflict, recurrent natural disasters, increasing poverty, multiple waves of COVID-19 and the takeover by the de facto government have had devastating effects on Afghanistan. In this context, as vulnerable populations across Afghanistan struggle to access basic needs such as adequate shelter, housing, land and property (HLP) rights are often not prioritized by people or humanitarian actors, but must be safeguarded. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees and host communities must be empowered and supported to claim and secure HLP rights. NRC, through its Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) program, aims to promote access to rights through emergency legal support to vulnerable populations. This will be done primarily through the provision of legal awareness, counselling and legal assistance on HLP and related rights, including the right to civil documentation. This is particularly important as inaccurate information on entitlements in the current dynamic legal context can exacerbate challenges and frustrate displacement-affected persons, leading to negative coping mechanisms. Further, NRC will undertake HLP assessments and disseminate evidence-based reports, and provide capacity building for informal justice actors to promote improved decision-making. The proposed actions will be implemented over a 12 month period in Northern Afghanistan – Balkh province (7 districts - Mazar, Dehdadi, Nahrshahi, Chemtal, Sholgara, Charbolak and Dawlatabad districts) and Kunduz province (6 districts - Kunduz, Chahar Dara, Qalaizal, Archi, Alibad and Emam Sahib districts) - and Central Afghanistan – in Kabul province (4 districts – Kabul (Central), Charasyab, Dehsabz, Mosawi). These are areas with high numbers of IDPs and returnees, and different drivers of displacement, where HLP needs are high, and where the humanitarian response is currently unable to adequately address the HLP needs.

After the fall of the government in 2021, the political, social, and economic situation in Afghanistan has been seriously impacted, affecting the lives of people across the country and causing displacement, particularly marginalised populations such as women, children, and persons with disabilities. Major concerns continue for the human rights of Afghan population that got displaced into the urban and formal and informal settlements across the country. Serious violations and human rights abuses have been observed and reported among these displaced communities and overall in the country, as well as limited freedom of religion and expression and limited freedom of movement. To support the Afghanistan Protection Cluster in terms of identifying and reporting protection concerns, NRC will conduct protection monitoring to enhance evidence-based advocacy for the communities living in targeted formal and informal settlements. NRC will advocate to local authorities, UN agencies, donors, and other humanitarian partners to strengthen humanitarian coordination in regards to the humanitarian response. NRC will deploy dedicated protection field monitors to conduct protection monitoring. The field protection monitors will maintain a stable presence in the targeted communities, will be conducting regular protection monitoring visits following an agreed upon methodology for data collection (key informant interviews, household interviews), as well as analysis and reporting in Herat Province (Injil and Karukh Districts) and Kunduz Province (Kunduz City, Archi, and Qalaizal Districts) and in Balkh Province (Mazar city Chahr bolak, Nahri shahi, Dehdadi Districts).