nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
The country task force also recorded a spike in denials of humanitarian access, with 11 incidents in the second quarter. The Taliban were responsible for 10 of those incidents, consisting of 8 abductions of humanitarian workers, 1 targeted killing and 1 incident of looting. Afghan national security forces were responsible for one incident of looting of humanitarian supplies.
As COVID 19 is spreading quickly across Afghanistan, there are increasing concerns for its disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable, including returnees and internally displaced people.
Since the beginning of March, COVID 19 has spread rapidly all over Afghanistan. The officially reported cases as of July 18, 2020; 35,000+ infections and 100+ deaths. These are likely to be underestimates as the daily new cases are in the order of seven hundred.
Two polio campaigns were suspended, with health personnel directed towards the COVID 19 response. However, the campaigns were restarted on 20 July.
The third round of the China Afghanistan Pakistan Trilateral Vice Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue was held on 7 July. The three sides reached consensus on cooperation in the fight against COVID 19, the Afghan peace and reconciliation process and trilateral cooperation.
IDPs are increasingly exposed to weak land tenure and forced evictions.
The joint European Union United Nations Spotlight Initiative was redesigned to address COVID 19 related increases in sexual and gender based violence, covering education, victim services, legislative reforms and access to justice.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan  ( UNAMA )  continued its engagement to advocate for a reduction in violence and a ceasefire to facilitate a more effective COVID 19 intra Afghan negotiations. On 21 June and 5 August, the Special Representative of the Secretary   General, Deborah Lyons, met Mullah Baradar in Doha to discuss confidence building measures, including the release of prisoners and detainees, the human rights situation and efforts to curb the spread of COVID 19 and ensure humanitarian access in the conflict affected parts of the country.
In June 2020, acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran, where they discussed cooperation on security, border management, Afghan refugees and migrants, and transportation.
Afghan grass roots movements continued to advocate for peace, despite the onset of COVID 19. On 8 July, the People's Peace Movement organized peaceful demonstrations and media conferences in 20 provinces. Attended by hundreds of supporters, the gatherings resulted in a four article declaration demanding an immediate ceasefire and the start of intra Afghan negotiations. The Movement committed to continuing its advocacy for lasting peace amid the ongoing CO VID 19 pandemic.
During the reporting period, the national priority programmes were designed and costed, and they had an implementation plan that was endorsed by donors, relevant development councils and the Cabinet, with the support of both international and government budget funding.
Situation monitoring and further analysis is required to understand the causes of food insecurity in hotspot areas.
According to the findings of this assessment, 60% of the IDPs have an either poor or borderline food consumption score; very low levels of income, far below the cost of a basic food basket; and a high level of debt  ( 85% ) .
The Afghan government and its international donors should work to minimize the impact of the pandemic on women and girls. Schools should track which students return to school and reach out to missing children, especially girls. The government should strengthen services for victims of violence and ensure that economic recovery plans reach women. Afghan women and girls can't face another setback.
In Afghanistan, 90% of the economy is informal and operated by MSMEs  ( Medium and Small Size Enterprises ) . Besides limiting revenue mobilization, the informality of MSMEs expose them fluctuation of markets. COVID19 is the sheer example where the economic shocks have made many MSMEs lose their business.
Without access to pasture or a chance to sell newly harvested crops, many of these families were at risk of falling further into poverty or even destitution.
The Time Use Survey showed a dramatic gap between the contributions of women and men to unpaid care and domestic work in Afghanistan. This gap will only have been exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic, the subsequent lockdown across the nation, and the resulting increased burden of care with health and social services disrupted, schools and childcare facilities closed.
To make things worse, and according to the Ministry of Public Health, during the height of COVID19 pandemic, visits to health services reduced. This is due to the fact that mothers and fathers were afraid of contracting the virus, and had no option but to de prioritize health care, adding to the risk faced by newborns, infants and pregnant women.
In Afghanistan, in 2019, 1 in 17 children died before reaching their fifth birthday.
‘The disruption of the expanded programme on immunization will increase the risk of child morbidity and mortality,' says Dr. Sanjay Bhardwaj, Immunization Manager, UNICEF Afghanistan. ‘Routine immunization is critical in saving the lives of children.'
During the height of COVID19 pandemic, the European Union carried out an emergency humanitarian air bridge in support of most vulnerable children and women like Zarmina and her children.
Beyond the immediate crisis in unpaid care and domestic work, it is possible that there may be some residual impact on social norms that could contribute to greater equality.³ The crisis of the COVID 19 pandemic and domestic work, gives families and households an opportunity to reconsider sharing of the burden of care, for the beneﬁt of women, men, families, communities and ultimately, to create a more gender equal Afghanistan.
The 2020 IPC report shows that 13.4 million people are acutely food insecure  ( April – May 2020 ) .
The report projects that 12.4 million people will be in IPC phase 3 or higher from June to November and hence in need of humanitarian assistance. The provinces of Badakhshan, Daikundi and the urban areas of Herat and Kandahar are classified as emergencies.
Under its emergency response activities, WFP further assisted 309,975 seasonally food insecure people, 69,993 refugees from Pakistan, 26,593 conflict  displaced people and 20,419 returnees from Iran and Pakistan with in kind rations or CBT.
In Kabul, Kandahar and Kunduz provinces, WFP provided 43,127 people with a total of US$266,980 as part of WFP's social safety net initiative. WFP provides sustained assistance to help families still suffering from the 2018/2019 drought to rebuild their lives.
WFP dispatched 77 mt of high energy biscuits for 58,066 primary school students. As schools remained closed due to COVID 19, WFP provided the high energy biscuits as monthly take home rations. WFP distributed 34 mt of vegetable oil to 23,247 girl students at primary schools and US$33,506 to 6,408 girl students at secondary schools to encourage their enrolment.
WFP disbursed US$189,641 and distributed 859 mt of food to 8,954 participants of ongoing asset creation activities, benefitting 62,678 food  insecure family members.
After a rapid price surge from March to May, most food commodities stabilized around July, although they have not dropped back to pre COVID 19 levels. By the end of September, wheat flour costed 9 percent more than in mid March and cooking oil was 29 percent more expensive.
Funding requirements for the coming six months  ( September 2020 – February 2021 )  are US$192.5 million, of which US$119.2 million remain to be resourced.
Disease control measures that do not adequately consider the gender specific needs and vulnerabilities of girls and women can increase risks and lead to negative coping mechanisms.
The government of Afghanistan launched online education for students who continue to struggle given slow internet speeds and electricity outages. These realities impact students who are already under pressure, and now face exhaustion as well as growing mental health concerns.
To overcome the impact of COVID 19, research on the extent of the local crisis and the response of NGOs and donors is critical – without meaningful action informed by valid research such as needs assessments, emergency donations and coordinated cooperation, it will be difficult to cope with a worsening situation and recover better.
Herat needs locally available solutions and committed international partners.
As a result of these constraints, national organisations continue to shoulder a heavy burden in meeting humanitarian need in hard to reach areas. The demand of levies by NSAGs against both humanitarian organisations and directly from aid recipients restricts delivery of assistance. Such demands deprive beneficiaries of life saving support. Negotiating humanitarian exemptions to such demands is difficult and time consuming, and regularly delays the distribution of assistance to people in need.
The return of rains after the drought in early mid 2019 also saw a dramatic increase in the number of people affected by flooding. Many farmers have struggled to recover from the damage to their crops, fodder and seed reserves. People's capacity to cope with repeated shocks has continued to be eroded with yet another year of war.
A higher proportion of displaced households headed by a person with disability reported struggling to obtain food or not having enough money to obtain food in the 30 days prior to data collection  ( 51 per cent compared to 39 per cent of other households   ) . More households headed by a person with disability have a poor food consumption score  ( 56 per cent )  as a result.
In Afghanistan, people with disabilities often have to overcome negative stigma and attitudinal barriers in order to survive. They are often less involved in community decision making, even when it affects their lives.
Women with disabilities face double discrimination due to their disability and their gender, perpetuated by social and cultural norms. There is a general lack of awareness of or investment in realising the rights of people with a disability in Afghanistan, particularly in workplaces.
One of the only nationwide studies of the mental health situation in Afghanistan conducted in 2018 indicated consistently high levels of mental distress. According to this survey, one in every two people  ( 50 per cent )  is suffering from psychological distress and one out of five  ( 20 per cent )  face functional limitations to his or her role because of mental health problems.
In 2019, the WOA Assessment attempted to provide some measurement of the recent trajectory of mental health issues in the community by asking household heads whether family members had experienced the various types of behavioural change in the year prior to data collection. Overall, 38 per cent of displaced households reported at least one member  ( adult or child )  having experienced behavioural change. These changes included headaches, upset stomach, nightmares, bed wetting, excessive emotional outbursts, changes in appetite or eating habits, social isolation or inability to be alone and substance abuse.
An additional 1,840 and 3,180 returned from Pakistan and other countries, respectively, during this time.
Conflict denies people access to vital medical treatment by interrupting services where they do exist and preventing a scale up of services in new areas. In the first eleven months of 2019, around 24,000 hours of healthcare delivery were lost, and 41,000 consultations missed, due to the forced closure and destruction of health facilities, as attacks against health workers and medical assets mount in both frequency and deadliness.
One in three children is not immunised – a situation which has been worsened by the Taliban's ban on house to house polio activities. Afghanistan remains one of just three countries in the world where polio is yet to be eradicated. A total of 21 new cases have been recorded in Afghanistan since the start of 2019. Vaccination campaigns were interrupted in 2019 due to a ban imposed by the Taliban against house to house immunisation efforts. The ban has since been partially lifted, however more than three million children missed out on vaccinations in October as a result of the restrictions imposed by Taliban. The programme is making every possible effort to reach maximum children with vaccines and is planning to provide integrated services along with polio vaccination to improve acceptance by communities.
Volatile security, as well as harmful cultural and traditional practices which see the rightful place of women as being in the home; the imposition of strict gender segregation rules; and prohibitions on men providing medical treatment to women, all compromise their access to sustained and quality healthcare, exposing women to avoidable morbidity and mortality.
The 2019 WOA Assessment found that 73 per cent of displaced households had no literate woman above the age of 10. Where women do work, it tends to be through income generating activities they can engage in inside their home or the homes of friends or relatives such as weaving carpets, selling handicrafts, working as tailors, working as household help or washing clothes.
Only 44 per cent noted that there was only a single shock factor  ( conflict or natural disaster )  for their displacement, underscoring the complexity of needs and planning. For example, while drought distress was the immediate catalyst for many people fleeing their homes in Hirat and Badghis in 2018/19, the cumulative impact of years of conflict and poverty in people's places of origin is likely to have reduced their capacity to cope with this shock, thus making them more likely to flee.
The return of hundreds of thousands of citizens of Afghanistan from Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Europe each year, combined with the loss of remittances which are vital to the survival of their families at home, is having a de stabilising impact on peace, prosperity and security in Afghanistan.
The sharp drop in remittances from Iran, following the depreciation in the value of the Iranian Rial by more than 300 per cent, has diminished the purchasing power of communities who have been heavily reliant on remittance payments over recent years.
Turkey had threatened to deport up to 100,000 people back to Afghanistan in 2019 but ultimately 15,800 had been returned by the mid November.
To help mitigate the risk, the United Nations in Afghanistan had developed a response plan to support the Government's response to the pandemic, she said, emphasizing that that will require $108.1 million in funding until 30 June.
While children are bearing a heavy burden from the conflict, young adults  ( under 25 ) , who now make up two thirds of the population, are also showing signs of heavy stress.
Conflict and displacement have resulted in IDPs resorting to severe negative coping mechanisms, especially among marginalised households and those headed by a woman, as people scramble to feed their families and repay debts. Households are exposed to multiple shocks.
According to Government sources 106 people died, 106 were injured, including women and children, and 26 people remain missing.
Prolonged conflict has severely strained the education system in Afghanistan. The situation is made worse by under development, whereby public schools do not have enough capacity to meet educational demands in the country and are not able to ensure minimum quality standards are met.
Polio has now spread to eight new provinces, indicating declining immunity among people.
The main needs are food, water, sanitation and hygiene  ( WASH ) , and shelter.
Afghanistan's current sales tax – the BRT – represents around 17 percent of total domestic revenue collection. The majority, or around 60 percent of BRT is collected at the border. The remaining 40 percent is collected by the large, medium and small taxpayer offices in Kabul, as well as the provincial Mustofiats. There is a high proportion of non filers  ( ca. 34 percent ) , defined as those who pay BRT at the border when importing, but who do not subsequently file a BRT return with the Afghan Revenue Department  ( ARD ) . For the government this implies that a significant portion of BRT paid at customs is never deducted in BRT returns and thus represents a final revenue.
As of 31 August, 3,303 families  ( approx. 23,121 individuals )  have been assessed, out of which 2,317 families  ( approx. 16,219 people )  were verified as being in need of humanitarian assistance.
Risks to economic recovery are further exacerbated by insecurity and uncertainties associated with planned peace negotiations with the Taliban. Prospects for a peaceful settlement with Taliban remain highly uncertain, while attacks on security services have reached record highs. Continued and intensified violence could further undermine private sector confidence with negative impacts on growth and revenue collection.
Afghanistan's labour market already suffers from a labour force that is poorly educated, informal and lacking the requisite skills to develop their career further.
Faster than expected reduction in aid support would have severe consequences for service delivery and economic growth. Reductions in security support would lead to the diversion of available fiscal resources towards security needs, further undermining the capacity of government to finance services and infrastructure required for growth and poverty reduction.
Real GDP is estimated to contract by between 5.5 percent and 7.4 percent during 2020, compared to pre COVID projection of 3.3 percent positive growth. Nominal GDP could decline by between seven to nine percent in 2020 compared to pre  COVID projections. The impact is mainly due to a sharp contraction of output in services and industry due to lockdowns and other social distancing measures. Growth in services is estimated to decline by 13 to 14 percent while industry growth is estimated to decline by eight to ten percent compared to pre COVID estimates.
The WoA Assessment shows that in 91 per cent of settlements in hard to reach districts with physical access barriers most girls aged 6 17 were not able to attend school in 2019.
The 2019 WOA Assessment highlights that 71 per cent of displaced households reported shelter needs as one of their top 3 priority needs, second only to food for survival.
The 2019 WOA Assessment shows that at least 42 per cent of female headed households; 30 per cent of households headed by the elderly and 35 per cent of households headed by a person with disability reported having either severe or extreme shelter and NFI sectoral needs.
Total recurrent expenditures were revised upward from Afs 289.1 billion to 295.6 billion, and development expenditures from Afs 139 billion to Afs 153.8 billion. Increased expenditures are expected to be financed from: i )  increased transfers of operating profits from the central bank; ii )  new one off revenues, including auctioning of 4G spectrum; and iii )  increased grants, which are expected to increase from Afs 139.3 billion to Afs 153.8 billion.
Overall government expenditures reached Afs 157.3 billion or 35 percent of the amended budget as of end June. Recurrent expenditures reached Afs 115.5 billion with an estimated execution rate of 39 percent, compared to Afs 112 billion with a 38 percent execution rate over the same period last year.
Urban food insecurity is also challenged by the inflow of a considerable number of migrants,returnees and IDPs, that settle in urban areas and often have to compete for limited employment opportunities. This has created an imbalance in the supply of labour and demand of jobs and has caused plummeting daily wage rates.
The WOA Assessment shows that displaced households reported spending 75 per cent of their total income on basic needs  ( food, water for drinking, and rent and shelter materials ) , with the majority of total income, 63 per cent, being spent on food. The situation is more pronounced for those who have been displaced for longer  ( more than 6 months )  and for women headed households who already have very limited access to employment opportunities, often due to security and cultural constraints. Eighty three per cent of IDP households headed by a person with disability also report high levels of debt.
As a result, children  ( particularly after primary school age )  were more likely to engage in labor.
Amongst displaced households, some 32 per cent report unavailability of antenatal care where they live due to a combination of factors including a lack of health facilities within an accessible distance, an inadequate number of qualified health staff, and unavailability of female health workers. The situation is worse in provinces that have been affected by prolonged conflict and those which are hosting people with protracted needs.
In 2019, more than 30,000 people needed full trauma care  ( including secondary and tertiary care ) . Of those, some 15,000 had life threatening injuries and required major surgery.
The provinces with the highest burden of conflict related trauma were Kandahar, Hilmand, Farah, Hirat, Nangarhar, Logar, Kunar and Kunduz – collectively representing some 40 per cent of the national trauma burden.
The Health Cluster identifies the most vulnerable groups to be in Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Kunduz and Takhar provinces. In 2019, there was a 24 per cent increase in the number of trauma consultations provided to people in need in these hard to reach districts.
In the west, a staggering 48 per cent of households who were displaced during the drought report cases of AWD.
Amongst those displaced, IDPs who have been affected by drought are particularly prone to diseases including AWD, respiratory and skin infections.
In June and July 2020, the average prices of staple foods remained significantly higher compared with pre COVID 19 prices, further threatening the coping capacity of those who had lost their livelihoods. The situation is more pronounced for internally displaced persons and returnees, with women carrying acute vulnerabilities within those groups.
Even before COVID 19 related lockdown measures were introduced, the availability of regular work was low.
The country is home to 12.4 million acutely food insecure people, including almost 4 million at the emergency level, making Afghanistan the site of one of the world's largest hunger crises.
Decades of war have left heavy mine contamination and a widespread presence of explosive remnants of war across the country, which in particular often result in child death or injury  ( UNAMA 02/2020 ) .
A nationwide lockdown remains in place, although measures to contain the spread of the virus continued to vary across provinces.
Even before the outbreak, monthly revenue collection had fallen below the monthly target by around 19 percent for consecutive months, reflecting both excessive optimism in setting targets and slowing growth in the context of political instability. Revenue collection by the Afghan Revenue Department was below its monthly target by at least 23 percent, over January March, mainly due to the underperformance of Large Taxpayer Office  ( LTO )  and Medium Taxpayer Office  ( MTO ) . Customs revenues fell 12 percent below monthly targets over the same period.
The analysis of most recent data from nutrition assessments shows the nutritional status of children under the age of five and PLW continues to worsen due to multiple underlying factors. A mean increase of 4.1 per cent in GAM was seen across 23 provinces, with the situation remaining the same in only 3 provinces in late 2019, compared to 2018. The deterioration of the nutrition situation across most parts of the country is being driven by a series of complex factors – including poor access to health services, acute household food insecurity  ( due to shocks and chronic poverty ) , sub optimal childcare and feeding practices, poor access to water and sanitation, as well as conflict related shocks.
Domestic revenue collection has rapidly deteriorated in recent months with the COVID 19 crisis. Driven by reduced economic activity, restrictions on international trade, and deteriorating compliance, core domestic revenues  ( excluding one off revenue sources )  were lower by more than 34 percent against Ministry of Finance targets.
The high numbers of men killed in combat or as a result of violence over many decades have disrupted traditional family units, forcing women, the elderly and sometimes children to take on the role of leader and breadwinner in their households.The lack of legal documentation for women adds another layer of vulnerability. In the WOA Assessment, the percentage female headed households reporting no members owning a Tazkera  ( 18 per cent )  was double that of male headed households  ( 9 per cent ) .
One of the cheapest, easiest, and most important ways to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is frequent handwashing with soap and water. But for many children and families, basic water and hygiene facilities remain out of reach.
Increased risk communications messaging is critical. The IDPs returning home also face risks from IEDs.
When armed actors are present in the immediate vicinity of education facilities, children are exposed to physical threats both on their way to and from school and while at school. This ranges from verbal and physical harassment, to recruitment by parties to the conflict, as well as direct attacks by those who oppose the provision of education, especially for girls.
In the west, where the impact of the 2018 drought was felt more powerfully, protection monitoring reports show that as many as 39 per cent of the displaced households in Hirat and Badghis provinces include people with disability, and over 60 per cent are single headed households.
Conflict and disasters have led to significant internal displacement for many years in Afghanistan, and the country currently counts 2,598,000 IDPs displaced by conflict and violence across all its 34 provinces.
UNICEF is scaling up its response across the country by providing clean water to communities in need and distributing basic hygiene kits – containing soap, towels, buckets and jerry cans – to displaced families. With our partners, we have reached more than half a million households with information on physical distancing and aim to train thousands of health workers on COVID 19 in the coming months.
Psychosocial support is being provided to IDPs and health services have been scaled up through Mobile health Teams
Preventative measures such as social distancing and more wide spread lockdowns must also be practiced.
The severe economic consequences of the virus globally also carries further risks for a country like Afghanistan whose economy is almost completely donor dependent.
Since the global pandemic has wreaked havoc on Afghan public services, access to healthcare, and the economy, all of which are heavily reliant on foreign aid, the number of children needing life saving support is spiking.
UNAMA is encouraging the Taliban to reciprocate by including women in its delegation, thus sending a tangible signal that it has fundamentally reformed. She added that prisoner releases, if carefully managed, can build confidence to start the peace process, and that the Mission urges the parties to resolve the issue swiftly in line with international law.
Turning to Afghanistan's needs, the United Kingdom has committed $362 million, he said, adding that coordination between development, security and political actors is more crucial than ever before.
The Dominican Republic's representative shared the Secretary General's concerns about an increase in the number of people in Afghanistan   from 6.3 million to 9.4 million   in need of humanitarian assistance and protection due to the conflict.
Parties must ensure smooth humanitarian support and end violence against civilians, he said, while more broadly drawing attention to the Afghanistan Indonesia Women Solidarity Network launched in March. He went on to call on all parties to ensure smooth humanitarian support and to “stop harming civilians'. With Ramadan approaching, it is time for a cessation of hostilities, he said, emphasizing that any peace agreement must not compromise the gains made by Afghan women.
The Afghan government has announced a wide range of measures to contain the virus, mirroring global practices of physical distancing.
Humanitarian organisationshave advised againstborder closures in Afghanistan's case.
Even before the pandemic, Afghanistan was home to14 millionpeople with insufficient access to or resources to afford food, many of whom depend on international assistance.
In many respects, Afghanistan's ability to mitigate food scarcity will hinge on how its neighbours, many of whom face their own dire circumstances, react to the pandemic. Afghanistan depends on imports for most basic food commodities, including wheat flour, which makes up nearlythree quartersof poor Afghans' diet. Most of the country's wheat imports, which havedoubledover the last decade, originate in Kazakhstan.
A regional economic squeeze will have ripple effects on Afghanistan: Uzbekistan has recently pressured Kabul into paying itsoverdue billfor the nation's electricity, for instance.
In the meantime, Kabul islooking to Indiaas an immediate substitute provider of wheat, which requires transporting the goods via Iran's Chabahar port. Yet India's own grain harvest this year isreportedly in jeopardydue to that country's lockdown, and current arrangements between Kabul and Delhi fallfar shortof the more than two million metric tonnes Afghanistanrequires in importsthis year. Moreover, the full fallout from Iran's COVID 19 outbreak could becatastrophic, and the ability of Chabahar port to operate at peak efficiency should not be assumed.
But the country's largest commercial border crossings havealreadyproventenuoussince the pandemic began to spread, and even slight delays could jolt food supply lines.
390 houses have been confirmed as destroyed and 483 have been severely damaged.
While the government has moved to provide free bread to a quarter million people in need in Kabul, this initiative already faces planning and logisticaldifficulties, which are likely to multiply if attempted across the countryside – not to mention the potential for bread queues to spread the virus further.
Humanitarians have been mulling over global precedents for aid workers and their resources being targeted in times of scarcity; one aid worker noted that out of more than a thousand international humanitarian staff usually based in Kabul perhaps only 300 remained as of mid April.
WFP has assisted 420 families with food rations for two months. Further distributions of assistance are scheduled this week both of cash and in kind support including hygiene kits, emergency shelter and NFI kits.
international and regional actors should recognise the potentially massive scale of both food shortages and the public health emergency and commit to the unhindered flow of food and medical aid.
Regional powers should keep trade flowing smoothly and coordinate to ensure the stability of Afghanistan's supply lines for basic goods, and should make exceptional efforts to prevent persistent tensions between some of them from coming to a boil.
The U.S. has already begunencouragingthe steady flow of wheat and other imports into Afghanistan;early signsof some reopening may illustrate neighbours' desire to keep their agricultural sectors robust. The European Union isclosely monitoringthe country's food security, as are the World Bank and UN agencies.
Many Afghans are almost wholly dependent on humanitarian support to survive, particularly the most vulnerable and remote communities in a country plagued by decades of conflict and frequent disasters such as floods and droughts, made worse by erratic weather patterns.
Civil unrest is also a worry. Some Afghans voice concerns about increased danger to the Hazara ethnic minority, a common target of discrimination, as slurs andracially chargedconspiracy theories about the origins of the virus are repeated across the country.
Herat, a province bordering Iran, has beenhardest hitby reported cases and hospitalisations. Iran's border with Afghanistan remains open and while Pakistan's closed for several weeks, tens of thousands have rushed across, as the border has opened sporadically, a fewdays at a time.
It is therefore essential that the international community and the Government of Afghanistan immediately begin to obtain the resources needed to respond to COVID 19 like testing kits, protective equipment for health workers and ventilators for the very sick.
Lessons from other countries have shown such measures help to control the spread of the virus. Better screening at border crossings with Iran would also help.
Health care data in Afghanistan ishistorically unreliable, and the government has only managed to testaround 100 peopleper day – all of which leaves enormous uncertainty as to the ultimate scope of the problem in a country where roughly onlyone in fourpeople has access to quality health care.
A health station with an attached lab looks after the sick. Medicines are distributed, midwives support  ( expectant )  mothers before, during and after the birth, traumatised people receive psychological support, and children are vaccinated. Since the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic, the centre has also distributed face masks and disinfectants.
Some officials fear that hungry crowds could gather to protest or even riot overperceived inequalities in food distribution– scattered protests have already taken place in the cities of Herat, Jalalabad, Mazar e Sharif and Kabul.
But market shock waves will impact the entire country at once: anaverage rural dietconsists of as much imported wheat, sugar and cooking oil as in cities, and the country's more remote regions are already precariously on the edge of near starvation  ( as thedrought of 2017 2018highlighted ) .
Domestic revenues increased to a record high in 2019. Revenues reached Afs 208.8 billion equivalent to 14.1 percent of GDP, a nominal increase of 12 percent over 2018. The strong revenue performance was mainly driven by one off revenue collections of around Afs 32 billion, of which the majority  ( Afs 24 billion )  were transferred from Da Afghanistan Bank operating profits. Core tax revenues remained flat, in nominal terms, with poor performance of the large taxpayer office  ( LTO )  and small taxpayer office  ( STO ) , and mixed performance at customs points.
Several residents told Crisis Group they worry that groups that operate with impunity, even under lockdown conditions, will take advantage of the fearfulatmospherethe pandemic has instilled. Fewer people on the street may make it easier for kidnappers to conduct surveillance on and seize targets, given fewer bystanders. During the initial weeks of Kabul's movement restrictions, several conflict monitors told Crisis Group that crime rates had dropped – but as restrictions are increasinglybeing dodged, opportunistic crime is expected to rise. Moreover, gender based violence and other chronically underreported criminality has beenexpected to worsenunder lockdown conditions.
In the first four months of 2020, gross international reserves decreased by three percent mainly due to lower grant inflows. DAB's sales of foreign exchange under its open market operation amounted to US$ 577 million while inflows fell short of the auctioned amount by US$ 130 million over this period.
The UN and humanitarian actors have begun toraise the alarmabout the potentially massive scope of starvation and are scrambling to augment government efforts, but lockdowns haverestrictedtheir ability to provide aid.
But strategic reserves arenot sufficientto cover the population's urgent needs, and reports showscenes of panicand risingresentment.
Food scarcity and insecurity might pose greater threats, as shortages fuelrising prices of basic foodstuffs, urban lockdowns cripple informal and day labour employment, and remittances from abroad plummet.
The continuing violence means that Afghanistan has the third highest number of refugees in the world: around 5.6 million people there have lost their homes.
Determine frequency of hygiene promotion sessions taking into consideration the need for social distance and limit contacts  ( recommended to start 2 3 sessions per week for a month or as assessed by knowledge and practice of house holder through random Q&A and observation at public places, thereafter reducing frequency per week as deemed necessary ) .
Increase hand washing facilities  ( at entrance and exit of building and sites, in public spaces – restaurants, shops, markets, places of worship, trains and bus stations, etc. )  but make sure there is a focal point to ensure there is always water and soap or liquid soap.
Assess needs to support households with WASH NFI with water containers, hand washing facilities  ( bucket with tap, aftaba etc ) , soap and detergent/ disinfectant through in kind or cash based approaches. Priority for vulnerable groups and in camp settings  ( cf. distribution operation recommendations )  – Items can be distributed separately depending on availability of items.
Increase water quantity delivered to allow frequent handwashing practices as well as regular cleaning and disinfection.
Exports grew by 11 percent  ( year on year )  in the first quarter of 2020 from US$ 182.5 million to US$ 202.4 million. Export growth was driven by an 18 percent  ( US$ 24.4 million )  increase in exports of vegetable products due to improved agricultural output. Exports of dried fig, hing, raisin, and saffron, increased, mainly to India.
Focus hygiene promotion on frequent hand washing with water and soap.
Adapt water points operation schedule to allow less people at a time  ( e.g. increase the number of delivery points, longer opening hours of water points )  – encourage the involvement of a dedicated operator to reduce handling of the water point.
In addition to child labour, child marriage is frequently used as a culturally acceptable coping strategy. This practice also appears more concentrated in a few provinces.
Where feasible explore use of MBA for hygiene items where possible and when possible use cash and voucher modalities linked to market functionality and availability of specific items as a last resort  ( in the event of lockdown or restricted movement ) .
Avoid gathering and prioritise mass communication or door to door with physical distancing.
Ensure all personal involved into excreta and waste management have appropriate protective equipment  ( gloves, googles, boots, coverall, mask )  as well as capacity to wash hands and disinfect materials – specifically when dealing with waste from neighbourhood and household at risk.
Coordinate with other sectors to explore multi purpose cash opportunities.
Food security remains alarmingly high in Afghanistan with continuing conflict, widespread unemployment, and price hikes, all exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic.
By the end of Q3 2020, humanitarian partners had reached 7.6 million people with some form of assistance, including 3 million people who received COVID 19 support. This wide reach was partly enabled by significant carry over funds from 2019 into 2020  ( $96 million ) .
Impacted by mounting political and security uncertainties even before the pandemic, COVID 19 has hit Afghanistan hard.
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved two grants totaling $210 million from the International Development Association  ( IDA ) , as part of a larger financial package of $380 million, to help Afghanistan cushion the economic impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on Afghan households, support critical food supply chains, and provide emergency support to farmers.
TheEmergency Agriculture and Food Supply Project, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock  ( MAIL ) , will support emergency wheat seed distribution to farmers and provide technical assistance to small and medium enterprises to address supply chain disruptions. The project will also create short term employment opportunities in rural areas, which will contribute to COVID 19 emergency relief efforts.
The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking broad, fast action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. The Bank is supporting public health interventions, working to ensure the flow of critical supplies and equipment, and helping the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs.
While COVID 19 cases spread across the country, misinformation about the disease spread even faster. Social media played an important role in promoting precautionary measures but was also pervaded with misconceptions and unfounded evidence. Some in rural communities resorted to taking antibiotics. At the same time, many young people in urban centers denied being infected   both because of the stigma surrounding the disease and fear of going into quarantine.
The lockdown and border closures have led to massive disruptions of economic activity and consumption, interruptions to imports, reduced remittances, and reduced exports.
Together with a $240 million grant from theAfghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund  ( ARTF ) , this$400 million supportsustains a range of key economic and public finance reforms to improve business regulation and encourage private investment, expand social inclusion, and support civil service reforms.
Considering the important role businesses play, the World Bank also provided a$200 million grant in July to help provide relief to vulnerable people and businesses. This package supports the government's effort to strengthen policies that promote faster recovery and keep basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, and telecommunications afloat and running.
The Bank has restructured its portfolio of ongoing projects in Afghanistan to release funds for the country's immediate needs and sustain the government's efforts to manage fiscal constraints. More support is planned to improve water supply, sanitation, and hygiene as part of the COVID 19 response.
In rural areas:As of May 15, 2020, over 11,400 new CDCs were elected, more than 2,100 Cluster CDCs were registered, and almost 11,800 CDCs completed Community Development Plans  ( CDPs ) .
In urban areas:Implementation has been rolled out in over 850 communities. A total of 850 CPs were completed; 850 CDCs elected, 850 CDPs completed, and 944 sub project proposals approved.
Financed by IDA and the ARTF,the Women's Economic Empowerment–Rural Development Projectis a follow on project to the Afghanistan Rural Enterprise Development Project  ( AREDP )  that aims to increase social and economic empowerment of poor rural women in selected communities. The pace of social mobilization under WEE RDP has been remarkably high and more than 422,000 SHGs have been established as of August 2020, of which 80 percent are women's groups. A total of 95,153 trainings were conducted by the project including its Facilitating partners in th last one year.
Nearly 1,300 people have been killed during the first 3 months of 2020.
The lack of protection for civilians shows an urgent need to promote International Humanitarian Law across all parties to the conflict.
According to the UN, 2019 saw a high number of civilian casualties, with more than 10,000 people killed or injured.
To date 2,652 IDPs have been verified as being in need of humanitarian assistance.
A national survey is now being conducted to find out about the real prevalence of COVID 19 in the country. The findings of the survey would be the base for making decision on restart of schools and major economic activities.
With children out of school, unpaid care workload for women has also increased, it is well known that women already do three times as much unpaid care work as men globally.
In May, the government started a national program to fight hunger that led to distribution of over 100 million units of bread through local bakeries across the country.
InAfghanistan, anticipatory actions are protecting herders' livestock with cash and herders with animal health kits. COVID 19 restrictions come at critical time in the agriculture calendar as the main staple crops are harvested and herders migrate to traditional grazing areas. That way, FAO is making up for the income that farmers are likely to lose because they can't bring their goods to market and it's keeping livestock fit and healthy when they have to travel on new routes.
Assessments from mid August indicated that a high proportion of IDPs did not want to return to their areas of origin, fearing continued fighting  ( OCHA 25/08/2020 ) . However close to 13,000 of the IDPs have returned to their homes in Khanabad district, where their needs will be assessed. Returnees are exposed to violence, IEDs, and mines on their return journeys.
These healthcare providers, along with doctors and nurses, are facing incredible challenges and the potential threat of armed conflict, which have created such an uphill battle in order to keep the lives of newborn and mothers safe.
Kunduz city was hosting a high number of IDPs prior to this recent fighting  ( ECHO 26/08/2020 )  in a province counting approximately 5,300 IDPs as of 20 August  ( OCHA last accessed 02/09/2020 ) ; available aid resources are likely to be scarce.
Even before the global COVID 19 crisis, the total number of children who needed some form of humanitarian support this year stood at 5.26 million [ ii ] , making war torn Afghanistan one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child.
Overall declines in imports reflected a 23 percent  ( US$ 353 million )  drop in import of vegetable products, a 14 percent  ( US$ 74 million )  decrease in import of base metals, an 18 percent  ( US$ 52 million )  decline in import of electricity, and a 34 percent  ( US$ 135 million )  drop in import of vehicles. Meanwhile, imports of cement increased by 20 percent  ( US$ 61 million ) , with construction firms building stocks in the context of low cement import prices due to depreciation of Pakistani Rupee and Iranian Toman.
Imports of goods declined to US$ 6,158 million in 2019  ( seven percent or US$ 513 million lower than in 2018 ) . Lower imports were driven by: i )  weak economy wide demand in the context of rising political uncertainty; and ii )  reduced reliance on imported grains with the agricultural sector recovering from recent drought.
“The uncertainty surrounding COVID 19 means many families are stressed about putting food on the table, with no clear indication of how long the current crisis will go on. Meanwhile children who miss out on their daily nutritional needs are at far greater risk of getting sick. In extreme cases the lack of food may even affect a child's physical and mental development, with devastating consequences for the rest of their lives.
What we need is for the international community to urgently fly in food supplies to be distributed to some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, malnourished, and those who are sick. We also urge the Afghan government to facilitate the rapid distribution of food, despite the nationwide lockdown.
Due to insecurity, access constraints are high across Afghanistan, and NGOs are frequently targeted by insurgents  ( Aid Worker Security 04/05/2020 ) . Flight irregularities and bureaucratic constraints have slowed down some operations, and interference with activities continues to be reported in Kunduz  ( OCHA 31/08/2020 )   ( The Johanniter 11/2019 )   ( OCHA C 19 Report 25/08/2020 ) .
38,243 cases of COVID 19 have been confirmed in Afghanistan as of 02/09, with 29,315 recoveries and 1,409 deaths, though deaths are likely underreported  ( Afghan Ministry of Public Health last accessed 02/09/2020 )   ( OCHA 31/08/2020 ) .
Violations of international humanitarian law, including attacks on health and education facilities and protected personnel have continued to be commonplace in 2019.
Children made up the majority   77 per cent   of civilian casualties from explosive remnants of war in the first nine months of 2019.