nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
Almost the entire population of Afghanistan needs a social safety net with an estimated 14 million people in acute humanitarian need.
The nominal retail price of wheat grain in kabul was maximum in September 2020 and was minimum in October 2020.
The nominal retail price of wheat grain in Faizabad was maximum in October 2020 and was minimum in September 2020.
Many HCWs in Afghanistan reported that they don't have enough personal protective equipment's  ( PPEs )  and severe dissatisfaction among the doctors infected with COVID 19 due to lack of PPEs, in particular among HCWs in Kabul city  ( as per the news reported ) . They were also reported lack of specialised care and ventilators for treatment.
According to the World Health Organization  ( WHO ) , in Afghanistan, six HCWs died from COVID 19  ( as on 26.04.2020 )  and more than 130 HCWs already contracted with COVID 19.
As of 28 March, A total of 3,633 people affected by conflict received humanitarian assistance in Maymana district of Faryab province.
The cutting down of foreign aid and reduced funding had impacted regularity of meals, heating system, legal and health care.
100% of the interviewed mentioned that they have access to basic health facilities.
However, 100% women responded that prison authorities disinfect their prison yard and rooms regularly. Whereas only 53% of men interviewed mentioned that their prison yards are disinfected by prison authorities
Interagency assessment teams identified 14,987 internally displaced people to receive humanitarian assistance in the coming days in Maidan Wardak province.
100% of women have learnt from the visiting health workers, where as it is quite low at 20% among men
As of 28 March, Assessment teams identified 105 people displaced by conflict in Takhar province to receive humanitarian assistance in the coming days.
Article 25 of the Law of Prisons and Detention Centres clearly states that the detention centres and prisons are to provide hygienic water and food for the prisoners and detainees with regards to their age and health condition  ( especially to women who are pregnant or giving birth ) .
As of 28 March, Humanitarian assistance reached 4,333 people affected by conflict in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces.
The nominal retail price of wheat flour in Kandahar is maximum in January 2021 and was minimum in September 2020.
In this context, the President's decree to release prisoners to control the spread of COVID 19 was announced on 26 March and about 700 prisoners were released within a week of the announcement. It was announced that in 10 days time, about 10,000 prisoners will be released. As per Amnesty International's press release on April 16, “Ten days have passed since Afghanistan's President ordered the release of prisoners and nothing has happened. Every day, the risk to them rises. At particular risk are women prisoners, many of whom have children with them.
Increase in support to health services to address the medical concerns
Five mobile health teams provided nutrition support to people affected by conflict and natural disasters in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces
The nominal retail price of wheat flour in Kabul is maximum in October, November, December 2020 and January 2021 and was minimum in September 2020.
Ensure services providers consider all forms of identification documentation when targeting the most vulnerable IDPs especially if they don't have Tazkera
The nominal retail price of wheat grain in Mazar e sharif is maximum in January 2021 and was minimum in September 2020.
The nominal retail price of wheat grain in Maimana is maximum in January 2021 and was minimum in September 2020.
The nominal retail price of wheat grain in kabul is minimum in January 2021 and was maximum in September 2020.
He  [ President Ghani ]  also stated that the economic consequence of the outbreak means that around 90% of the Afghan population requires food assistance and medical attention.
To cope with the livelihood situation, over 55% of the population reported doping different forms of negative copying strategies. The top four strategies reported include borrowing money, eating less food, sending children to work and selling assets. Women and children are the most affected group. Boys are mostly affected through child labour.
In January 2020, NRC conducted 19 FGDs and 40 HHs  ( 60% female and 40% male ) . During the reporting period, 87% of respondents indicated having have no idea whether their intension is to stay in location of displacement or return to area of origin. Reported highlighted insecurity/conflict and having no access to the return packages including the seeds and agricultural materials in the places of origin as the main reasons
Based on the FGD data, the to three safety and security concerns of IDPs include debts, theft and drug addiction. The data indicates a slight decrease in theft as a safety and security concern 62%  56% between December 2019 and January 2020 based on feedback from the respondents.
Afghanistan now has a test positivity rate – positive tests as a percentage of total tests – of 21 per cent, suggesting overall under testing of potential cases
There is also likelihood of continued reluctance to seek health services due to COVID 19 with significant need for confidence building on infection prevention and control.
Line representatives said early and forced marriage affect adolescent girls and women in the targeted districts. Such practices could increase during the pandemic.
The current laboratory capacity is limited. There is an urgent need to increase laboratory supplies as well as to strengthen human capacity and operational support.
The number of returnees remains in line with the elevated scale seen in 2020 – the year with the highest number of returning undocumented Afghan migrants on record.
Protection Cluster:4,037 persons with specific needs  ( PSNs )  received cash assistance across the country to help them cope with the financial impact of COVID 19.
School children, along with sick and injured people, are paying a heavy price for these disruptions  [ repeated attacks on heath and education centers ]  which have continued, even during the COVID crisis.
To address the acute food insecurity needs of the affected families, the following actions are required to save lives and livelihoods: Introduce livelihood diversification programmes for the people facing Crisis and Emergency levels of acute food insecurity, especially women headed households and people with disabilities. Livestock support, poultry and kitchen gardening are potential activities to enhance the food security, nutrition and income of vulnerable communities.
Amid a culture of disrespect for IHL  [ International Humanitarian Law ] , attacks on health and education facilities continue to be commonplace.
Evolving conflict and continued violations of International Humanitarian Law  ( IHL )  have contributed to an alarming protection crisis affecting all people.
The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority  ( ANDMA )  has initiated the dispatch of 91 metric tons of food to 1,000 families  ( approximately 7,000 people )  in Jawand, Badghis province through helicopters. The distribution and dispatching is ongoing.
WV must continue to work with CPiE Cluster, Education Cluster and CPAN to ensure referral pathways are safe and accessible for children who require case management and additional services.
Health partners will also specifically focus on better equipping health facilities and building the capacity of health personnel. They will work with the WASH Cluster to improve availability of water and sanitation facilities and hygiene options in top priority health facilities. Efforts also include ensuring nutrition treatment facilities are fit for purpose in the face of COVID 19 and have adequate space between beds to minimise the risk of virus transmission.
Protection responses will continue to be tailored to vulnerable people with specific needs such as people with disabilities. Community engagement will also be strengthened on child protection issues related to COVID 19 as well as on protecting children from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.
One in three people in Herat and Nangarhar are either an IDP or returnee. The strain on already scarce resources has also caused tension between displaced and host communities, and poor conditions are driving people to adopt negative coping strategies, including further displacement.
Together with the Education in Emergencies Working Group  ( EiEWG ) , the ES NFI  [ Emergency Shelter and Non Food Items ]  Cluster will develop an enhanced 2020 2021 Joint Winterisation Strategy. The Cluster has provided technical guidance to the EiEWG to plan for school winterisation should the school year be extended into colder months for catch up classes.
Inbound remittance flows for 2020 were estimated at between 3 7 per cent of GDP, and mainly came from Iran, Pakistan and Gulf countries. This is expected to substantially decline with the contraction of global economic activity as well as plummeting employment opportunities in Iran, where a large number of Afghanistan citizens work in a country that has been a virus hotspot.
Many people are expected to resort to negative coping strategies, including diminishing their household dietary diversity by shifting to cheaper foods  ( with less nutritional value ) ; selling assets; and moving to seek employment opportunities. FSAC  [ Food Security and Agriculture Cluster ]  will, therefore, have a specialised focus on the urban poor who are or were in vulnerable employment.
In the longer term, a broader range of social protection measures will be required to curb the spread of the virus, stabilise household income and demand, as well as contributing to recovery. The following social protection approaches may be considered: Unemployment protection. Preventing job losses and supporting those who have lost jobs through temporary state  organised partial unemployment and/or tax benefits that allow employers to retain their workers during the crisis, thereby allowing for a quick recovery. This could be complemented by subsidies or reductions in rent and utilities. It is limited by the high level of workers in the informal economy.
Approximately 10 million children have had their normal schooling interrupted. This is in addition to the 3.7 million children who were already out of school prior to the pandemic.
To mitigate the spread of COVID 19, the Ministry of Education  ( MoE )  announced the suspension of all education activities on 14 March 2020
In 2020, the HRP  [ Humanitarian Response Plan ]  emphasises a rights based approach to activities in response to the sheer scale of the protection crisis facing the country and will continue to prioritise mainstreaming protection throughout all programming with additional assistance from the newly arrived ProCap  [ Protection Standby Capacity Project ] . Improving accountability to affected people will be heavily emphasised including through a scale up of resources to boost capacity, reintroduce the former Community Engagement Working Group as the Accountability to Affected Populations Working Group and support expansion of community engagement by all cluster partners. Strengthening community engagement, improving awareness of COVID 19 prevention and response through two way communication, and tracking and correcting rumours are central priorities for the response to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Vulnerabilities  [ for women ]  include more female headed households struggling due to the loss of breadwinners from violence and now COVID 19; as well as the social and cultural norms that limit women's access to government and humanitarian services, particularly health care.
The distribution of dignity kits to women and girls – particularly those who are displaced – will continue.
The HRP  [ Humanitarian Response Plan ]  outlines plans for the provision of legal, safety, health and psychosocial assistance for at risk IDP, returnee and non displaced GBV survivors through a multi sector approach
Harmful traditional practices and coping strategies such as early and forced marriages, indebtedness, child labour and begging, as well as lack of access to basic health, psychosocial and legal services, make life for people even more fragile.
Almost 40 million people face a pandemic inspired economic lockdown that severely limits their access to employment and worsens pre existing cycles of debt. Rising prices and job losses in the informal economy are leaving many families, especially in urban areas, in deeper crisis. In rural areas, any interruptions to the harvest season in June and July may have catastrophic consequences for incomes and food availability.
In 2020, the Health Cluster will join with education colleagues to enhance monitoring of these violations  [ of attacks on health and education centers ] . At the same time, these Clusters will work to strengthen advocacy to prevent such attacks.
The Protection Cluster will enhance protection monitoring, including by incorporating additional COVID 19 specific indicators, and will continue to provide psychosocial support and targeted assistance  ( including cash )  to vulnerable community members who are struggling during the pandemic. Protection partners will respond to a rise in child protection concerns by expanding support for family tracing, reunification and psychosocial assistance, and by providing logistical and capacity support to caregivers.
To respond to COVID 19 driven challenges, including more incidents of Sexual and Gender Based Violence, protection partners will work to maintain core services, utilising more mobile teams to ensure broad reach within communities despite movement restrictions.
The ICCT  [ Inter Cluster Coordination Team ]  will continue developing thematic preparedness plans for a range of emergencies  ( COVID 19, flooding and earthquakes ) . The ICCT began holding a series of capacity building workshops planned for 2020 although some of those scheduled will be delayed until later in the year.
Winterisation assistance to ensure the survival of vulnerable people and those living in high altitude areas will be enhanced in 2020 2021 in view of people's eroded coping capacities due to COVID 19.
The ES NFI  [ Emergency Shelter and Non Food Items ]  Cluster will work with other sectors to utilise prefabricated housing units as potential isolation places in IDP sites; storage spaces for pre positioned stocks; additional space for health and nutrition activities; locations where psychosocial support is provided and information dissemination spaces.
The  [ Emergency Shelter and Non Food Items ]  Cluster will expand its rental support to people with insecure tenure in informal settlements and will provide shelter extension kits in IDP sites and informal settlements to promote isolation and curb COVID 19 transmission. Also, as a virus mitigation measure, the Cluster plans to provide more non food items to families to discourage sharing within households.
In direct response to the pandemic, the  [ WASH ]  Cluster will increase its provision of WASH infrastructure in approximately 94 priority health centres, isolation wards and other facilities. To ensure flexibility and rapid response, the Cluster plans to utilise mobile WASH teams that can deploy quickly and install mobile handwashing devices in areas where there is a sudden influx of people or a concentration of COVID 19 cases. These teams will provide rapid water treatment in health and nutrition centres. The Cluster will continue to provide sustainable WASH services, particularly in hard to reach areas.
Supplies of hygiene kits, school bags, and nutrition treatment supplements are all at risk of imminent pipeline breaks.
Lack of access to these services  [ basic WASH services ]  directly impacts the health of the most vulnerable people in communities, particularly young children. According to the 2019 Whole of Afghanistan Assessment  ( WoA ) , 39 per cent of shock affected households had at least one child exposed to a diarrheal disease in two weeks preceding data collection.
Conflict and disaster are drivers of poor access to basic WASH services in communities across the country, including for those who are displaced.
As a result of the pandemic, a nation wide polio vaccination programme, planned to reach 9.9 million children, has been suspended. This is particularly concerning as 11 cases of polio were reported since the start of the year, mostly in areas controlled by NSAGs  [ Non State Armed Groups ]  and where house to house vaccination campaigns have been banned since May 2018.
Ensuring basic health services remains challenging in the face of the pandemic and widespread conflict. About one third of the population  ( mostly those living in hard to reach areas )  does not have access to a functional health centre within two hours of their home.
The  [ Nutrition ]  Cluster also plans to increase its investment in the preventative component of the nutrition response and provide transportation costs – through cash or voucher assistance – for vulnerable families travelling to seek ‘inpatient' SAM  [ Severe Acute Malnutrition ]  care. This is a new approach for the Nutrition Cluster.
To mitigate against disruptions to ongoing assistance, the  [ Nutrition ]  Cluster will revisit its delivery modality with an increased focus on Mobile Health and Nutrition Teams  ( MHNTs )  to ensure nutrition services reach those who are unable or unwilling to access health centres due to COVID related movement restrictions or fear of approaching health facilities.
The nutritional status of children under five continues to deteriorate in most parts of Afghanistan. The Nutrition Cluster response will continue its focus on core nutrition services – treatment of severe acute malnutrition  ( SAM )  for ‘inpatient' and ‘outpatient' care; treatment of moderate acute malnutrition  ( MAM )  including blanket supplementary feeding, therapeutic supplementary feeding and micronutrient supplementation; infant and young child feeding  ( IYCF )  and counselling services.
FSAC  [ Food Security and Agriculture Cluster ]  partners are carefully monitoring the increase in prices of staple and high value foods such as fruits. There are plans to re evaluate the food basket price in June as the impacts from the intermittent border openings and the domestic production become clearer.
After four decades of war, Afghanistan is littered with explosive ordnance that poses daily threats to the safety of civilians, especially children and those returning or displaced to areas where they are not aware of local risks. In a bid to reduce these dangers, Mine Action partners will conduct survey, clearance and disposal activities in high risk areas. In 2020, Mine Action partners will also scale up Mine Risk Education to cover the increased numbers of returnees from Iran.
Preventing and responding to the COVID 19 pandemic has been woven into all cluster and sector approaches for 2020, necessitating a reorientation of priorities, operational modalities and coordination structures. While humanitarian actors will continue to deliver core life saving programming in response to ongoing conflict and natural disaster, additional focus on strengthening access to critical health services, supplementing WASH programming to improve hygiene, and responding to the multi sectoral impact of the pandemic will be required throughout 2020.
A fragile health system, limited access to water and sanitation, widespread food insecurity and high rates of malnutrition are all additional complicating factors for Afghanistan.
With a fragile health system, a developing economy and underlying vulnerabilities driven by decades of political and social turmoil, the people of Afghanistan are facing extreme consequences from the COVID 19 pandemic.
Sixty four per cent of the returnees surveyed did return to their area of origin only to leave again, predominantly because of conflict and violence
According to key informants interviewed for this study, the economic crisis is also encouraging deportations as the government seeks to free up jobs for Iranians.
At the time of writing, 145 people have been confirmed to have contracted COVID 19
Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health confirmed the first case of the novel coronavirus   COVID 19 – in the country on 24 February.12 As of the end of the first quarter, 196 cases of COVID 19 had been confirmed with Herat province remaining the most affected part of the country; hundreds more cases have been confirmed at the time of writing.
UNAMA is gravely concerned by abduction cases that have led to summary executions, including an incident on 6 March in Kushk district of Herat province in which seven adult men, including a teacher, were abducted and killed by Taliban a few kilometres from their village
UNAMA documented a disturbing increase in abductions of civilians carried out by the Taliban in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to 2019, with a spike occurring during the reduction in violence period at the end of February and the subsequent month of March.
UNAMA is specifically concerned about an increase in civilian deaths from intentional targeting of civilians during the first quarter of 2020, as compared to 2019. Two of the most egregious incidents were mass shootings claimed by ISIL KP in March: an attack on 6 March at a commemoration for a Hazara leader in Kabul, which killed 34 civilians and injured 78 more, and an attack on 25 March on worshippers at a Sikh Hindu temple in Kabul, which killed 26 civilians and injured 11 more.
Anti Government Elements continued to be responsible for the majority of civilian casualties – 55 per cent   during the first quarter, causing 710 civilian casualties  ( 282 killed and 428 injured ) . UNAMA attributed 39 per cent to Taliban3, 13 per cent to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province  ( ISIL KP ) 4 and the remainder to undetermined Anti Government Elements.
Throughout the first quarter, ground engagements were the leading cause of civilian casualties causing almost one third of the overall total, followed by targeted killings and non suicide IEDs. Targeted killings were the leading cause of civilian deaths. Civilians living in Kabul, Balkh and Faryab provinces were most affected  ( in that order ) . The number of civilian deaths attributed to Anti Government Elements – particularly the Taliban – increased by 22 per cent in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to the same time period in 2019, mainly due to a disturbing increase in targeted killings and summary executions.
UNAMA attribued 21 per cent of overall civilian casualties to Afghan national security forces, eight per cent to international military forces and the remainder to pro  government armed groups and undetermined ProGovernment Forces
Anti Government Elements continued to be responsible for the majority of civilian casualties – 55 per cent   during the first quarter, causing 710 civilian casualties  ( 282 killed and 428 injured ) . UNAMA attributed 39 per cent to Taliban, 13 per cent to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province  ( ISIL KP )  and the remainder to undetermined Anti Government Elements.
From 1 January to 31 March 2020, UNAMA documented 1,293 civilian casualties  ( 533 killed and 760 injured ) , highlighting that the conflict in Afghanistan continues to be one of the deadliest in the world for civilians, at a time when the potential impact of COVID 19 poses a threat to all individuals in Afghanistan.
Made possible with funding from the Swedish International Development Agency, the programme  [ Frontier Technologies for Sustainable Development training programme, held online from January to April 2020.  ]  focused on how frontier technologies, including Artificial Intelligence  ( AI ) , can be utilized to help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Approximately 3.7 million children are out of school, and 60 percent of those children are female. That's 1 in every 3 girls attending school, a lack of female teachers, specifically in rural areas, may be a reason for low enrollment of girls. In half of all Afghan provinces less than 20 percent of all teachers are female. About one third of girls are married before the age of 18 and are then urged to discontinue their education. In some schools there is lack of sanitation and access to clean and safe private toilets. Children who come from low income homes are forced to work at school age. Teachers often find it difficult to provide quality education with a lack of supplies and resources, some classes are held under makeshift tents; others are held out in the open.
so far with Afghanistan's very limited testing facilities; the outbreak poses a major challenge to a country already struggling with deep seated poverty, long running conflict and an extremely fragile health system and lacking school facilities.
The Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan  ( HRP )  for 2018 2021 2020 Year End Monitoring Report was published on 17 March with partners reaching 11.7 million people in 2020, exceeding planned reach.
IOM's DTM team is working on a similar risk analysis to the above, looking at Pakistan returnees and internal population flows, that can supplement future planning. DTM is actively scaling up Flow Monitoring on major border crossing points to supplement available information on returnee demographics and intensions.
IDMC found as early as 2008 that they faced economic and social reintegration challenges that were leading to secondary displacement.
Quarantine measures, school closures and restrictions on movement disrupt children's routine and social support structures, while also placing new stressors on parents and caregivers who may have to find new childcare options or forgo work.
Respondents perceived lack of education as the second most significant barrier to employment after the lack of job opportunities. Across the population as a whole a quarter of the workforce is unemployed, and much of the work that is available, such as day labour, is vulnerable and insecure.
Early and forced marriage and child labour are common negative coping strategies among vulnerable households.
Fifty seven per cent of respondents described healthcare provision as bad or very bad, mainly because of too few doctors and too far to travel to the nearest facilities
During the week starting 8 March, IOM reported that between 5,000 and 8,000 returnees came into Afghanistan each day through the Islam Qala border crossing alone.
More 1.2 million IDPs live in informal settlements, where their lack of tenure security means a real threat of eviction.
During the week starting 8 March, IOM reported that between 5,000 and 8,000 returnees came into Afghanistan each day through the Islam Qala border crossing alone
An integrated, whole of society approach that focuses on affected communities irrespective of their displacement status would be best suited to address vulnerabilities and shore up social cohesion.
Driven by security fears and economic concerns, people's desire to migrate abroad is increasing despite the financial barriers they face. In some parts of the country it has reached record levels. The shrinking protection space in neighbouring countries, however, is prompting fewer to seek international protection, simultaneously altering the face of Afghan migration and contributing to onward travel to Turkey and Europe.
Almost two thirds of the population live in areas directly affected by conflict, and the ongoing hostilities are thought to have left as many as 250,000 people in need of emergency medical treatment in 2019.
Civilian casualties have also reached an unprecedented level. The Taliban were responsible for the majority of civilian deaths in 2019 as a whole, the result of its increased used of suicide bombs and other improvised explosive devices, but Afghan forces and their US led allies caused most in the first half of the year
The Afghanistan Pakistan border was closed for several days after 16 March. The border briefly re opened to reduce backlogs of commercial vehicles but this was short lived.
the health cluster's priorities are: • Infection prevention and control measures at the health facility level and at designated Points of Entry. • Ensuring a functioning infection prevention and control program in each hospital/health care facility is in place in the areas where cases are suspected/identified/transferred.
The health cluster has prioritised support for health teams to conduct screening at the Points of Entry  ( ground crossings and airports ) , as well as the implementation of health measures for travellers. So far, eight points of entry have been equipped with essential supplies  ( infrared thermometers, personal protection equipment  ( PPE ) , and alcohol based hand sanitisers ) . But further scale up is required.
There has been discussion of the possible establishment of camps, encashment centres or quarantine locations for returnees, especially in the country's West. The humanitarian community does not support the establishment of camps for people returning from either Iran or Pakistan. This is not in line with global best practice and has proven an ineffective tool in other contexts such as Pakistan which established a quarantine camp at Taftan on its border with Iran. 3 The concentration of individuals in such confined environments increases the risk of disease spread.
The health cluster is providing technical guidance and dissemination of WHO guidelines on COVID19 including case definition and case management to health facilities to implementing partners and surveillance teams.
There is continued messaging via radio and television at the national level on hygiene and case identification. Health partners have further sponsored social media sites for mass awareness. Other partners continue to use wash committees, school teachers, mobile health teams, polio teams and other community based disease reporting volunteers, as well as immunisation communication networks to support ongoing risk communication and community awareness.
Messaging is being done in a culturally appropriate manner that is tailored to people with varying levels of literacy and in various languages. IEC materials; TV and radio announcements and social media platforms are also being used to disseminate messages to the public
It is acknowledged that a scale up of messaging is required to allay fears in the community and provide practical advice that dispels rumours and misinformation
Particular risks facing children include: ➢ Physical and emotional maltreatment ➢ Gender based violence  ( GBV )  ➢ Mental health and psychosocial distress ➢ Specific child protection related risks such as   Child labour, separation, social exclusion
The 2021 edition of the multi year revised Afghanistan HRP identifies 18.4 million people in humanitarian need in 2021, as a result of COVID 19, ongoing conflict and natural disasters.
Government administrative regulations issued on 16 March 2020 allow older staff  ( aged 58 65 )  to work from home for three weeks; pregnant women to work from home for two weeks; obligates staff returning from outside the country to use two weeks annual leave to isolate.
Frontline aid workers are at risk of transmission which may limit their capacity to respond and agencies are taking additional measures, such as the provision of appropriate personal Protective Equipment  ( PPE )  and additional training, to protect staff.
While there have been sporadic openings to allow commercial vehicles to pass into Afghanistan, this has not been sustained and humanitarians are gravely concerned about the impact this might have on markets inside Afghanistan and on the delivery of humanitarian supplies.
A total of 17,843 people received humanitarian assistance in Maidan Wardak province.
On 13 March, Pakistan announced it was sealing its western border with Afghanistan and Iran for an initial period of 14 days related to protective measures against COVID19. This closure took effect on 16 March. This has affected the main supply routes for critical relief items – notably food
Health is also concerned about the availability of core medical supplies. Critical medicines and hospital supplies  ( beds, thermometers, etc. )  as well as Personal Protective Equipment  ( PPE ) , masks and other consumables are urgently required on scale that is appropriate for this outbreak. Continued sourcing and delivery of additional testing kits is also critical.
Even before COVID 19, supplies of food were at risk of a partial pipeline break by May 2020 unless additional funds were made available. Supplies of hygiene kits, school bags, and nutrition treatment supplements are all at risk of imminent pipeline breaks
Locust attacks affect the region's standing crops   mostly wheat, vegetable and fodder crops. The locust attack reduces the yield of wheat crops and causes a shortage of fodder for animals, seriously affecting the farmer's income and impacting on food insecurity across the country.
Conflict related movement among armed groups, as well as displacement of civilians, creates further risk of intensifying the scale and spread of the virus
Vaccine uptake remains slow and further risk communication and community engagement efforts are needed to ensure prioritised, high risk populations and frontline staff understand the benefits of the vaccine and can effectively dispel misinformation.
The humanitarian community does not support the establishment of camps for people returning from either Iran or Pakistan. This is not in line with global best practice and has proven an ineffective tool in other contexts such as Pakistan which established a quarantine camp at Taftan on its border with Iran. The concentration of individuals in such confined environments increases the risk of disease spread.
As a result, opposition parties protested in Bishkek and Osh, demanding that the country's Central Election Commission annul the election results due to voter fraud allegations  ( RFE/RL, 12 April 2021 ) , though critics note that the opposition's concerns about the elections and the new constitution may result in future unrest  ( RFE/RL, 13 April 2021 ) .
A total of 6,781 returnees, IDPs, and people from host communities were reached with humanitarian emergency outpatient health services; and 384 children were vaccinated to protect them against polio and measles.
The socio economic impacts of COVID 19 have translated into a dramatic deterioration in food insecurity with levels now similar to those seen during the 2018 drought.
While 23 laboratories are now operating in Afghanistan – with plans to scale up to at least one laboratory per province by June 2021 – the capacity of these facilities remains limited and stocks of supplies have periodically run out. National capacity for COVID 19 testing is 7,200 samples a day however these laboratories are not being fully utilised. WHO reports that while the national testing capacity stands at 8,500 samples a day, it is only utilised up to 7,200 samples a day as laboratory technicians are working less hours due to lower demand for testing.
Overall, partners reached 4.68m people with COVID 19 specific support in 2020.
An estimated 16.9 million people are now in crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity.
As a potential third wave approaches, humanitarian partners continue to urge the Government to ensure laboratories and frontline staff are appropriately equipped and that procured supplies – including vaccines – go to under resourced health centres across the entire country in a transparent manner, so that life saving support can be delivered to those most in need.
Work with diverse women led and women's rights organizations, women leaders, and movement to foster women's participation and leadership in decision making structures.
In total, Afghanistan has received 968,000 doses of the vaccine – 468,000 from the COVAX facility and 500,000 directly from the government of India   enabling the vaccination of some 484,000 people.
The first batch of COVID 19 vaccinations through the COVAX facility – consisting of 468,000 doses – arrived in Afghanistan on 8 March. Afghanistan is the first country in central Asia to receive the vaccine via COVAX – a facility that is set to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID 19 vaccines globally by the end of 2021.
Almost 8 per cent of the total confirmed COVID 19 cases are among healthcare staff and they are currently the highest priority for vaccination. There is an urgent need to ensure continued distribution of medical and protective equipment to all corners of the country.
The majority of recorded deaths were men between the ages of 50 and 79. Men account for almost 67 per cent of the total COVID 19 confirmed cases in the MoPH data, although this may be the result of overrepresentation of men in testing.
As of 8 April, MoPH data shows that 56,945 people across all 34 provinces in Afghanistan are confirmed to have had COVID 19. Some 51,940 people have recovered, and 2,516 people have died – at least 91 of whom are healthcare workers. Only 361,751 people out of a population of 40.4 million have been tested.
Stigma is considered a major factor in people choosing not to get tests and risk communications work is critical to turning this around.
In addition, a journalist and an election monitor were reportedly attacked by unknown assailants in Osh for filming election code violations at polling stations, resulting in calls for Kyrgyz authorities to investigate attacks on journalists during elections and the referendum  ( CPJ, 13 April 2021 ) .
Meanwhile, the long awaited peace summit in Turkey was once again delayed this week until after Ramadan, as the Taliban refused to join for a second week  ( Al Jazeera, 21 April 2021 ) . The Taliban did not share any specific reason for their refusal, but the group has previously stated that they would not attend any summit until all foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan  ( Reuters, 21 April 2021 ) .
In a separate development, NATO forces announced that their troops would withdraw from the country within a few months, following the recent decision of the US to pull out its troops on 11 September 2021  ( AP, 14 April 2021 ) . The news led Afghan politicians to raise concerns about a potential “civil war' if a political agreement between the Taliban and the Afghan government is not achieved soon  ( TOLO News, 19 April 2021 ) .
Additionally, there were a number of attacks targeting civilians in Afghanistan last week, often perpetrated by unknown groups. The Taliban also claimed that Afghan airstrikes and shelling caused civilian casualties in Balkh, Kunar, and Nangarhar provinces.
Fighting was reported mainly in Kandahar, Helmand, Kunduz, and Urozgan provinces. Additionally, in Sozma Qala district of Sar e Pol province, a road blocked by the Taliban was reopened during intense clashes in which 19 Taliban were killed.
Last week  ( 10 16 APRIL 2021 )  in Central Asia and the Caucasus, Taliban and Afghan forces clashed across the country. Meanwhile, NATO troops announced a withdrawal plan from the country, similar to the US, as an upcoming peace summit was postponed.
At least 20 per cent of the movement restrictions in Q1 2021 were attributed to demonstrations taking place along the main roads.
In at least 36 instances, ANSF  ( Afghan National Security Force )  closed the roads to prevent civilians, including humanitarians, from being affected in active clashes between ANSF and NSAGs  ( Non State Armed Group ) . There were no significant geographical patterns in regards to such incidents, with most provinces recording one to three such incidents in Q1 2021, except for Balkh Province, which logged 12 incidents predominantly along Mazar Shiberghan Road.
In Q1 2021, the HAG recorded 128 movement restrictions affecting humanitarian operations, compared to 52 movement restrictions in Q4 2020. The main reason for the increase is linked to the HAG improving its reporting mechanism for checkpoints and road closures.
Despite an overall decrease in conflict activity countrywide, the number of IED incidents remained relatively unchanged, with 553 in January, 560 in February, and 533 IEDs logged in March. There is no indication of a drop in the number of IED incidents even in the light of Ramadan and Eid al Fitr, with IEDs remaining a significant threat to humanitarian operations.
Roadside IED  ( Improvised Explosive Devices )  incidents generally occur along routes known to be frequented by transiting ANSF and GoA personnel but also known for limited ANSF posture in terms of checkpoints or patrols. Therefore, humanitarian personnel operating in remote areas are considered to be more exposed to such type of IEDs. For organizations operating in remote areas, it essential to build a level of acceptance among the local community and to use their knowledge of the areas prior to conducting missions to mitigate the risk of being affected by roadside IEDs.
This increase can be partially attributed to ANSF  ( Afghan National Security Force )  attempts to stabilize their posture and to regain ground control over areas lost to the Taliban during 2020. This quarter March logged the lowest level of security incidents affecting humanitarian actors as a result of kinetic activity, with ANSF  ( Afghan National Security Force ) and the Taliban both authoring six incidents each.
Overall in Q1 2021, following the same pattern as in previous years, the Taliban remained the main author of access constraints relating from military operation and kinetic activity. However, the number of incidents affecting humanitarian workers initiated by ANSF significantly increased in Q1 2021, compared to the last two quarters of 2020.
The decrease in the number of access constraints relating from military operations and kinetic activity in Q1 2021, compared to Q4 2020 is likely attributed to the lower level of conflict activity and military operations by the Taliban, partially limited by weather conditions but also political developments, including a meeting in Moscow and the upcoming Turkey conference.
Humanitarian assistance reached 8,365 people affected by conflict in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces. Assessment teams identified 1,484 people displaced by conflict in Baghlan, Badakhshan, Takhar and Kunduz provinces to receive humanitarian assistance in the coming days.
Levy requests by the Taliban continued to be an issue, with requests for taxation often following the sharing of project details. In Q1 2021, the HAG recorded 19 levy requests, compared to 18 such requests in Q4 2020, with all of the levy requests being initiated by the Taliban. At least 10 of the requests resulted in a temporary suspension of programming, with five partners confirming that they managed to resolve the taxation requests through local and regional level engagement with the Taliban, indicating how essential engagement is to resolve access issues with Taliban.
In this regard, the newly developed OCHA data sharing protocol is timely and should be used in advocacy with conflict actors. Community members attempted to interfere with beneficiary selection in four incidents. This could indicate insufficient or absence of community engagement during the project planning phase when beneficiary selection criteria should be explained to the community and elders who have a vital role to play in creating local acceptance and avoiding civil unrest during beneficiary selection and distribution processes.
In 22 incidents, the Taliban interfered with the programming of health partners, demanding for upgrades in their services, including additional medicines, equipment as well as better trained staff.
While the number of interferences with recruitment and beneficiary selection remained relatively stable over the last 12 months, the number of interferences with programming has increased steadily, with 91 incidents logged in Q1 2021, compared to 29 in Q1 2020, and 64 in Q4 2020  ( see figure 4 ) .
These interferences directly impacted humanitarian operations and resulted in at least four relocations of programs, two permanent halts of program and 60 temporary halts of program and/or closures of facilities.
On 29 March, a polio immunisation campaign began in the south, aiming to reach 1,775,811 under five children. However, an estimated 629,408 children will not be reached due to insecurity and restrictions on polio immunisation in NSAG controlled areas.
In Q1 2021, the HAG recorded the killing of nine humanitarians in five different incidents. One NGO security guard was killed due to indirect fire collaterally impacting a health facility. The other four instances were targeted killings, including one directed against an armed IO escort: On 11 February, an IO road mission traveling from Jalalabad to Kabul and escorted by two DPS vehicles was attacked by Taliban small arms fire. While the IO vehicles safely reached a nearby ANP HQ and no IO personnel was wounded, one escort vehicle lost control and swerved into the river that is passing along the highway. The five escort personnel were subsequently shot by Taliban members.
The number of levy requests has been stable for the last three quarters, indicating that despite advocacy efforts at highest level, the issue remains unresolved.
While constraints logged as interference with humanitarian activities were mainly authored by the Taliban, incidents defined as violence against humanitarians were driven by ACG  ( Armed Criminal Group )  and Taliban alike who initiated 46 and 44 incidents respectively
Farah, Kunduz and Kandahar were the provinces that logged most access constraints in Q1 2021, with Farah logging most movement restrictions, while Kunduz and Kandahar recorded high numbers of violence against humanitarians as well as interferences
Most incidents were initiated by the Taliban  ( 302 ) , followed by ACG authored incidents  ( 46 ) , with ANSF and GoA members initiating 33 and 12 access constraints respectively.
In Q1 2021, the HAG recorded 442 access constraints, compared to 335 in Q4 2020 and 194 in Q1 2020. What looks like a significant increase from Q4 2020 to Q1 2021 is mainly related to an improved reporting mechanism for movement restrictions, which led to a nearly threefold increase in logged movement restrictions.
The HAG also recorded an increase in access constraints logged under interferences in the implementation of humanitarian activities and violence against humanitarians, both categories increasing by 30 and 50 per cent respectively.
Out of nine attacks on humanitarian facilities/assets, four were directed against ambulances, with three attacks initiated by ANSF members targeting ambulances transporting injured Taliban fighters. During the attacks, three injured individuals were killed and a caretaker traveling in the ambulance was wounded. In a forth incident, the Taliban opened fire at an ambulance, wounding two NGO personnel. It remains unclear why the Taliban targeted the ambulance.
. In five instances, critical infrastructure was impacted by the Taliban: In Arghandab and Panjwayi districts of Kandahar Province, Taliban destroyed bridges, thereby impeding movement of humanitarian supplies. In March, in Kunduz, Taliban disconnected the Salam GSM and internet services to Kunduz City by destroying the optical fiber, thereby disrupting the only internet and telephone option active during the night in Kunduz.
The security situation remained volatile in the centre mainly in Kabul, Logar, Maidan Wardak, Khost, Ghazni, and Paktya provinces. On 31 March, 20 civilians including women and children were reportedly injured when a rocket hit a health facility in Baraki Barak, Logar province. Despite damages inflicted, the health facility resumed operations shortly after the incident.
The security situation remained unstable across the west. During the reporting period, 886 people displaced from Ab Kamari district to Qala Naw, Badghis province in the last weeks were identified to receive humanitarian assistance in the coming days.
The road connecting Qala e Naw to Jawand district, Badghis province has been blocked since 2019 and remains a challenge for people who need to access markets and medical facilities.
A total of 8,248 returnees, IDPs, and people from host communities were reached with humanitarian emergency outpatient health services; and 458 children were vaccinated to protect them against polio and measles. Six mobile health teams provided nutrition support to people affected by conflict and natural disasters in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.