nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
WFP supported 12,705 people struck by flash floods end of August with in kind food assistance.
Funding requirements include US$53 million Funding towards WFP's response to COVID 19 to reach an additional 3 million people until the end of the year and US$53 million as part of WFP's planned winterization activities for 1.59 million people.
On 22 September, the United Nations Secretary General made a renewed push for a global ceasefire by the end of the year in order for the world to focus on the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic.
An analysis of results from the 2018 WOA and the 2018 Protection Assessment of Conflict Affected Populations  ( PACAP )  assessment suggests that an estimated 10 11 per cent of the population are living with a physical disability. The WoA Assessment's heavier focus on displaced people may mean that this figure is an under estimate, since disability is often cited as a barrier to movement.
Afghan national security forces caused similar levels of civilian harm in comparison to the first nine months of 2019, mainly during ground engagements, in which the number of civilians killed and injured remained high, and through increased civilian casualties as a result of airstrikes.
Thirty five per cent of displaced households reported adults with behavioral changes and 27 per cent of displaced households reported children experiencing behavioural changes. Two thirds of displaced households where someone was reported as having experienced behavioural change believed this was as a result of conflict. In the WOA Assessment, mental health concerns were found to be strongly correlated with people who had faced protection issues/incidents, including GBV.
While the number of civilians injured attributed to Anti Government Elements dropped significantly, the number of civilians killed remained similar to last year, mainly due to a rise in those attributed to the Taliban.
Key drivers of acute food insecurity include: high unemployment that has cut household income; reduced purchasing power and access to food; ongoing conflict leading to displacement; loss of livelihoods and reduced agricultural production because farmers don't have access to their agricultural lands for cultivation and harvesting at the right time; high food prices; natural disasters including floods which have destroyed shelters and affected farm land; and the residual impacts of the 2018/19 drought. In the WOA Assessment, 92 per cent of shock affected and displaced households reported that the majority of their household members had directly experienced major conflict and/ or natural disaster events in the year prior to data collection.Of those households, around half said the events had had a negative impact on livestock  ( 50 per cent )  and agriculture  ( 52 per cent ) .
Capacity building of water point committee/ operators and increase spare parts contingency stock availability to mitigate potential lockdown and markets disruption.
With the current conflict now into its 19th year, many in this group have known nothing other than a lifetime of crisis and conflict. The Asia Foundation perception survey looked at the biggest problems facing youth in 2019. Lack of employment opportunities was by far the most cited issue  ( 72 per cent ) , followed by lack of educational opportunities  ( 39 per cent, personal/mental health issues  ( 19 per cent ) , economic concerns  ( 15 per cent ) , and violence/insecurity  ( 9 per cent ) . A combination of unravelling security, increasing poverty, and a lack of productive employment, have all contributed to a growing loss of confidence in government – that is seemingly unable to safeguard their protection. According to a recent perception survey, almost 38 per cent of the population would leave the country if they had the opportunity to do so, with insecurity  ( 78 per cent )  and unemployment  ( 52 per cent )  given as the top reasons.
The Women, Peace and Security Index cites Afghanistan as the second worst place on earth to be a woman due to restrictions on women's involvement in society, outside the home. UNAMA's 2018 report ‘Injustice and Impunity' notes that violence against women – including murder, beatings, mutilation, child marriage, giving away girls for dispute resolution  ( baad )  and other harmful practices – remain widespread throughout Afghanistan, notwithstanding the Government's efforts to stop them.
Generally speaking, it is recommended to minimize exemptions to the extent possible, so as to not distort the VAT  [ Value added Tax ]  chain and avoid revenue falls. Moreover, the VAT will generate additional revenue that could be used to introduce a poor targeted safety net. Such a strategy would allow the government to increase revenues while supporting the less well off.
At the national level, over 50 percent of household income in the poorest quintile depend on income from activities like shop keeping, street or market sales, or daily labor in construction, agriculture or personal services.
The impact of the 2018 drought is also still visible in rural areas. Livestock destocking due to the drought has affected the livestock  based livelihoods of the rural community. Seasonal employment opportunities and incomes that were lost were not re gained in many cases.
The WOA Assessment results show that 75 per cent of recent IDPs have either poor or borderline food consumption.
Almost 38 per cent of the population in Afghanistan is either severely or moderately food insecure.
The provinces of Ghor, Badakshan, Daykundi, Nimroz, Nuristan and Uruzgan have been classified as being in IPC Phase 4. More than half of the entire population of these provinces are in either Phase 3 and Phase 4. The provinces of Kabul, Hirat, Nangarhar, Balkh and Badakshan have the highest number of people in Phases 3 and 4.
On 27, 28 and 29 August, provincial authorities  ( ANDMA  [ Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority ]  and DoRR  [ Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation ]  )  provided hot meals and safe drinking water to 370 IDP families  ( 2,590 people )  in a school in Imam Sahib.
Among IDPs forced on the move by conflict, the incidence of measles, AWD in children under five and tuberculosis   42 per cent, 56 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively – is higher than the national average.
Based on a scenario of current conditions continuing into 2020 and 2021 and analysis of past and present trends in health needs, some 4.13 million people will require trauma care and emergency health services in 2021
The Nutrition Cluster's analysis of aggravating factors confirms provinces with high levels of acute malnutrition concurrently have a higher proportion of acutely food insecure people  ( over 38 per cent of people classified as being in crisis and emergency phases of food insecurity   IPC phase 3 and above ) ; higher rates of diarrheal morbidity among children  ( over 18 per cent ) ; and a higher concentration of internally displaced people  ( above the national median IDP population of 3,150 people ) .
The Nutrition Cluster coordinates with OCHA and other clusters in joint assessments to identify the needs of conflict IDPs, returnees and natural disaster affected people.
The Nutrition Cluster conducts analysis by collecting MUAC screening data from over 2500 health facilities across the country and compiled at national level through the MoPH Health Management Information System  ( HMIS ) . This is an important source of data for tracking the trend of acute malnutrition among children under five.
The severity of protection concerns is felt differently across the different layers of societal groups with people who have a disability being especially impacted. Nearly half of displaced households headed by a person with disability reported at least one member of their family showing signs of a deteriorated mental health conditions  twice the prevalence of other households.
Avoid large gathering and prioritise house to house visit with sufficient distance between the hygiene promoter and the household members.
Timothy Bishop, Save the Children's Afghanistan Country Director, said: “The border with Iran is porous and difficult to control, so it's more than likely that many of the tens of thousands of returning Afghans are bringing the virus with them and spreading it far and wide without even knowing it. But in a matter of weeks, the epidemic will make itself known. The death toll could be unimaginable while the economic implications in a country where so many live in extreme poverty would be catastrophic.
( Viet Nam's representative )  He likewise urged the Taliban and all other terrorist groups to immediately stop fighting and permit unhindered humanitarian and health care access. It is important for UNAMA to provide training, funding and technical support to Afghanistan in countering cross border crime, he added.
In Dangam District, water irrigation intakes have been impacted  [ from flooding ]
Reports of COVID 19 related deaths remain low, but hospitals are straining and are beginning to lose staff: staff are not only falling ill, with some even dying of the disease, but many are simply refusing to work under conditions they deem hazardous.
Focus on mass media  ( radio, SMS, digital, megaphone, and & mosque announcements etc. )  but also use of loudspeakers  ( Public Address System PA )  in specific community and camp settings.
Strengthen rumours tracking and community feedback mechanisms and take appropriate corrective action including information sharing to avoid ‘infodemics'.
Working closely with community opinion leaders particularly religious leaders Mulas, etc. Allow hygiene promotion group not bigger than 10 person and ensure physical spacing  ( 1meter at a minimum or more as per the changing scientific evidences on COVID 19 )  – to be adapted according to government regulations.
Promote the use of soapy water  ( water and detergent )  instead of soap bar at handwashing points in public places and settlements  ( will avoid stealing of soap ) .
Consider water collection schedule allowing separate timing for high risk, COVID 19 home patients and general population.
Ensure quarantined households have access to WASH services.
Ensure spaces used for quarantine/ isolation have adequate with WASH facilities in coordination with CCCM.
All O&M activities should be maintained to ensure continuity of WASH services ( water points, latrines, showers, latrine desludging, waste management ) .
Standard hygiene kit distribution should be maintained as per identified needs with increased quantities of consumables  ( soaps and sanitary pads ) .
Ensure household receive appropriate messaging Taskforce agreed to adopt MoPH messages as endorsed by WHO.
Ensure household have way to share their concerns AWAAZ toll free number  ( 401 )  or partners to share their specific established CRM platform ( s )  with toll free number if available.
In late June, the MoPH  [ Ministry of Public Health ]  announced that the whole health system starting from the health post to national hospitals would be ready to provide COVID 19 related case management and contract tracing services.
Aware of the threats of the coronavirus outbreak on the fragile health system and the economy, the World Bank moved quickly, fast tracking a$100 million emergency grant on April 2, 2020, to help Afghanistan strengthen its public health preparedness.This support enabled the Afghan government to reinforce healthcare services, to detect and isolate COVID 19 cases and to improve testing capabilities, and for hospitals and other medical facilities to stock up on critical medical supplies and equipment.
TheCitizens' Charter Afghanistan Program aims to improve the delivery of core infrastructure and social services to participating communities through strengthened CDCs. The Citizens' Charter is set up as an inter ministerial program to deliver grants to CDCs that support basic services. The MRRD implements the Citizens' Charter program in rural areas, while the IDLG is responsible for the four major cities of Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Mazar e Sharif.
For 2020, the overall number of people with water, sanitation and hygiene needs is 4.9 million. This includes all population groups – internally displaced people, shock affected, non displaced  ( conflict and natural disaster ) , returnees, refugees and acutely vulnerable people  ( those reeling from past shocks ) . Based on a scenario forecast of largely similar conditions continuing into 2021, the WASH Cluster projects some 4.3 million people will be in need of WASH services.
It is more acute in Hilmand, Khost, Takhar, Zabul, Badghis, Kunduz and Faryab provinces. The absence of water and sanitation also induces recurrent disease outbreaks and forces families to spend more money on curative treatment of preventable diseases, to spend more time caring for sick children and to lose income from missed work. This adds to the underlying poverty across the community.
Charity foundations, celebrities, private sector firms and NGOs started distributing food and medical supplies across the country.
The Ministry of Public Health assigned a number of state owned hospitals across the country as intensive care units and COVID 19 testing centers.
If a main planting season is upcoming, interventions ahead of time need to be implemented so farmers can access their fields and key inputs to be able to plant. If pandemic related restrictions are already disrupting markets, urgent action is needed to ensure that a forthcoming harvest is not disrupted and farmers can sell their produce. If vulnerable or marginalized groups are likely to be pushed further into hunger, FAO must advocate for the expansion of safety nets to protect them.
Attack on the healthcare system is not the only unsettling issue midwives are facing, overworking, an overload of complicated cases, a conservative health stigma culture, and now, a threat of the worldwide spread of COVID 19.
At the time of publication, the political situation in Afghanistan remained volatile with results of the 2019 presidential election yet to be announced. Election related violence in 2019 caused over 450 civilian casualties from the start of the top up voter registration period through to polling day  ( and the immediate aftermath ) , with almost 280 civilian casualties on polling day alone. Over one third of victims on polling day were children, with the Taliban causing the majority of election related civilian casualties.
It is estimated that more than 4.1 million people displaced since 2012 remain displaced from their villages,many into urban areas, and are showing no signs they intend to return home.
Drought was a major driver of humanitarian need in 2018 and early 2019, and recent food security assessments have confirmed that hunger and malnutrition still remain disturbingly high despite a massive effort to support food insecure communities.
The most recent nutrition surveys across Afghanistan showed that 25 out of 34 provinces are currently above the emergency level threshold of acute malnutrition. Annually, an estimated 2 million children under the age of five and 485,000 pregnant and lactating women  ( PLW )  are affected by acute malnutrition.
The Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4 recognizes that to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all', least developed countries need to dedicate at least or more than 4 to 6% of GDP
Exports fell to US$ 863 million in 2019  ( from US$ 875 million in 2018 ) , due to trade tensions with Pakistan and the strengthening of the Afghani relative to major trading currencies.
Girls are most likely to work in carpet weaving or tailoring, but a significant number also engage in street work such as begging or selling small items on the street. Many more do housework in their family's home.
Meanwhile, 75 per cent of households with at least one person experiencing signs of mental health challenges reported two or more sectoral needs, compared to 55 per cent of other households.
The drought has contributed to an overall trend of shrinking availability of arable land. Only two million out of Afghanistan's eight million hectares of arable land is irrigated, leaving farmers especially vulnerable to low rainfall in times of drought. As a direct consequence of the drought, irrigated land reduced by almost 12 per cent and rain fed land reduced by almost 18 per cent from 2017 to 2018. The scarcity of arable land in Afghanistan renders it extremely valuable for economic and political reasons and a driver of recovery needs.
The ratio of non performing loans to gross loans increased to 16 percent in the first two months of 2020 before falling back to 15 percent by end of March.
In April 2019, Peer 2 Peer Mission, P 2 P mission to Afghanistan to review and support strengthening of humanitarian operations.
Dialogue with the Taliban on the prevention of underage recruitment and use of children has been ongoing for many years.
UNDP  [ UN Development Programme ]  will leverage funds in collaboration with other IFIs  [ International Financial Institutions ]  for example the World Bank's HEAT  ( High Expertise Advisory Team ) . This initiative offers leading expertise that is aligned with the four priority areas of the COVID 19 2.0 Offer  ( Governance, Social protection, Green economy, and Digital disruption ) . HEAT targets immediate needs of senior government officials in responding to the COVID 19 pandemic and through future oriented strategies: beyond recovery.
As the COVID 19 pandemic reached Afghanistan in 2020, the Government of Afghanistan closed schools and restricted movement as part of its precautionary measures to limit the spread of the virus. These measures caused 10 million children to remain out of school for more than 6 months.
( Ms. Hayden, the Secretary General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan )  Describing the risk to Afghanistan posed by COVID 19 as “extreme', she said a reduction in violence leading to a ceasefire would save lives, create a more conducive environment to begin intra Afghan peace negotiations and enable the Government to focus on battling the looming health crisis. The deadly effects of the novel coronavirus are particularly concerning, she said, given Afghanistan's fragile health system, its high number of internally displaced persons, its overcrowded prisons, the difficulties women face accessing health care and the lack of built in social protection guarantees.
Food price monitoring should also continue in the major markets of the country and measures should be taken to expand food price monitoring, as most of the communities are relying on the purchase of food from local markets.
Crop pest and diseases and livestock diseases should be monitored, as these can potentially impact crops and livestock in 14 provinces of the country as per the historical trends.
Timely provision of quality seeds will help farmers not only to cultivate but also increase the production for household consumption.
The government must facilitate a smooth flow of food supply chain during the lockdown. Crop pest and disease monitoring and control should continue to avoid losses.
The complex context of Afghanistan, including ethnically diverse people, rugged terrain and continuing civil unrest, needs to be considered when developing strategies for food and livelihood security programming.
2019 saw a continuation of trends in explosive hazards as 2018  ( where an average of 120 people per month who were either killed or injured by landmines, ERW and/ or landmines of an improvised nature in Afghanistan ) . Afghanistan is on track to becoming the country with the highest number of recorded landmine and ERW casualties in 2019, as was seen in 2018 and 2017. A total of 1058  ( 72 women, 419 men, 89 girls, 478 boys )  explosives related casualties were recorded in the first nine months of 2019. While this shows that men and boys are more impacted by explosive devices, their death and injury usually results in a significant burden on women  ( and their families ) , who often have to become the head of household, while carrying out their prior duties and tending to their injured family member at the same time.
Children comprised the majority   77 per cent   of civilian casualties from explosive remnants of war.While explosive hazards remain a humanitarian concern right across Afghanistan, the south  ( Kandahar, Hilmand, Zabul, Uruzgan ) , south east  ( Ghazni, Paktya ) , and east of the country  ( Nangarhar, Kunar )  are mosy affected. Other significantly impacted provinces include Faryab  ( north ) , Hirat and Farah  ( both west ) . These eleven provinces made up 70% of mine and ERW casualties between 2011 and 2018, with the same trend continuing in 2019.
Sixty per cent of schools in Afghanistan lack basic water supply and sanitation services, including menstrual hygiene considerations for girls. The latter poses an immediate risk of intermittent school attendance or drop out amongst female students.
It is estimated that less than two per cent of land is held or owned by women. Inequitable cultural models of gender mean women face additional barriers to accessing HLP rights, because they have more difficulty accessing legal documentation to support their occupancy claims.
Hosting large numbers of IDPs and returnees puts an added strain on the pre existing poor infrastructure in host communities. Disrupted livelihoods and reduced income, coupled with chronic underlying poverty, further challenge families' capacity to purchase essential hygiene supplies.
Drawing from the WOA Assessment, trends in displacement in Afghanistan, and the SFSA findings, the EiEWG estimates that 1.7 million school aged children between 6 and 18 years old  ( 902,397 boys and 824,078 girls )  will require education in emergencies support in 2020. These include 405,723  ( 190,117 girls, 215,605 boys )  IDP children and returnees from Iran and Pakistan, and 1.3 million out of school children identified to be acutely vulnerable and under IPC Phase 3 and 4.
Lack of female teachers is another barrier to girls' education, as many parents are only comfortable having their daughters taught by women. Only 33% of teachers are women, with the percentage of female teacher varying widely from province to province, ranging from only 1.8% in some provinces up to 74% others.
From 1 January 2020 to 26 August 2020, 151,196 people fled their homes due to the conflict. With limited humanitarian access to these newly displaced people, it has been challenging for humanitarian actors to identify their needs and priorities.
The U.N. Secretary General called for a global humanitarian ceasefire to combat COVID 19, including in Afghanistan. However, despite this, and the spread of COVID 19, the conflict continues and has escalated in some parts of the country.
For girls and women with disabilities, the long distance from homes to schools, the absence of dedicated, accessible transportation, and the lack of assistants or a family member to accompany the child with limited mobility to school is a significant barrier.
More than 9.5 million children in public schools and 500,000 children enrolled in community based education classes, in addition to the 3.7 million out of school children in Afghanistan, have now been out of school for nearly seven months.
COVID 19 most harms children and families with weaker resilience to crisis and shocks. The disruption to education is likely to have the biggest impact on the most marginalized and at risk children, as the crisis exacerbates pre existing education disparities and reduces their opportunities to continue their education.
These harms  [ from impact of COVID 19 ]  will disproportionately affect girls, especially girls who are marginalized in other ways, including due to disability, because they are IDPs or returnees, or because they are among the three  quarters of the population living in rural areas.
IOM  [ International Organization for Migration ] , DACAAR  [ Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees ]  and DRC  [ Danish Refugee Council ]  have distributed NFIs, tents, emergency shelter, cash for food and hygiene kits to 375 families, while the distribution of relief assistance will continue on 1 September.
Some 42 percent of settlements in hard to reach districts use unimproved water sources. Their needs are exacerbated by the inability to easily undertake repairs to damaged infrastructure or deliver assistance to meet their minimum water, sanitation and hygiene needs.
As the government works to restart schools, there is an opportunity to enhance gender equity in access to and availability of education. This can be realized by:  ( 1 )  ensuring that gender equity is included as a core component of all strategies responding to COVID 19
2 )  ensuring that increasing gender equity is a key consideration in planning, funding and delivering infrastructure development, and ensuring that priority is given to developing basic infrastructure such as toilets, running water, boundary walls, and accessible buildings that will help girls and women be able to study;
In line with the 2020 recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women concluding observations on the third periodic report of Afghanistan, the government should: Support children in alternative care and children in detentions to have access to education, safe release and reintegration in communities and families.
Strengthen hand washing when returning home in addition to the 5 key moments–  ( at least 20seconds rubbing, many bubbles – but do not insist on the steps ) .
During the reporting period, 2,481 internally displaced persons  ( IDPs )  were assisted by humanitarian actors in Kandahar and Hilmand with relief items, tents, food, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies. Assessments are ongoing in Kandahar, Uruzgan, Nimroz and Hilmand provinces.
COVID 19 has magnified people's vulnerabilities that were already extreme due to recurrent conflict and disaster shocks. A surge in food prices at the onset of the pandemic also compounded the severity of the situation as an increasing number of households allocated greater proportions of their household expenditure towards food.
A staggering 61 per cent of households report possession of less than one blanket per family member and 55 per cent of displaced households report having no winter clothes for any of their children.
The proportion of households living with an ‘emergency' LCSI score has more than doubled in a year from 16 per cent in 2019 to 42 per cent in 2020. This is the most severe category of coping mechanisms people can employ – such as selling one's land – which not only affects future productivity but is more difficult to reverse in the future as part of a recovery process.
Families who are facing decreased income often resort to borrowing to meet their food needs, with credit provided at higher than average rates. This has combined with unseasonably high food prices and decreased the purchasing power of households to put enormous pressure on household budgets. This is even ahead of seasonal increases in prices during the lean season, which vary based on geography and onset of snows, but usually running between December and March when food availability declines and remaining food stocks are consumed.
Refugees have the highest levels of borderline and poor food consumption scores with 77 per cent of the refugee population found to have severe or extreme food security needs and more than 90 per cent reporting borrowing food or borrowing money to buy food.Their livelihoods are also extremely insecure due to their precarious legal status and heavy reliance on inconsistent daily wage labour.
The latest IPC projection which covers the months of November 2020 – March 2021 shows that Badakhshan, Badghis, Daykundi, Ghor, Nuristan, Samangan, Uruzgan and the urban centres of Hirat, Kandahar and Maymana are classified emergency levels of food insecurity  ( IPC 4 ) .
The decline in people's herds and persistent challenges impeding expansion of livestock held by each household combine to erode people's capacity to re establish their livelihoods and their ability to cope with the impact of even small scale shocks.
The pandemic has seen a heavier prioritisation both in terms of policy and funding on pandemic related activities, at the expense of more durable system strengthening interventions that are required across the health system to improve outcomes.
According to the same study, Kabul had the highest estimated proportion of infections  ( 53 per cent ) , women were slightly more impacted than men, adults had been more impacted than children, and urban centres were harder hit than rural areas.
Healthcare costs remain a predominant part of household budgets with 85 per cent of displaced households reporting they had spent money from their limited reserves on healthcare in the past 30 days. The proportion was even high for households headed by a person with a disability  ( 94 per cent )  and by women  ( 93 per cent )  with regard to their spending on healthcare.
Training gaps are a significant problem for general health staff who may be the entry point for people experiencing mental health issues.
The domestic wheat harvest left a deficit of 1.3 million MT forcing farming families to cover the rest of their food needs through other external sources – savings, sale of productive assets and livestock, borrowing food, working for food, and sending household members out of the country to work and send money back.
According to MoPH analysis, the initial primary psychological impact of COVID 19 was elevated rates of stress or anxiety.
Food insecurity and livelihoods in urban areas have deteriorated severely over the past year with 40 per cent of households reporting a poor food consumption score in the 2020 data collection compared to 16 per cent in 2019.
An estimated 16.9 million people, or 42 per cent of the population are assessed to be in crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity  ( IPC 3+ )  for November 2020   March 2021.This represents a sharp increase from the preceding June to November 2020 cycle where 33 per cent of the population were in IPC 3 and 4 food insecurity   numbers that were already elevated by the early stages of COVID 19 compared to previous years. This means there has been a staggering nine per cent jump in the proportion of the population facing acute food insecurity since the onset of the COVID 19 crisis.
In a deteriorating trend from the beginning of the year, findings of the most recent nutrition surveys show that 27 out of 34 provinces are now within the emergency threshold for acute malnutrition.
A telling 97 per cent of female respondents reported to a needs assessment conducted by OXFAM, of over 600 households, covering 20 districts, carried out in April 2020, reported that they thought there was an increase in GBV since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, a threat which will not fade quickly given a second wave is already underway.
Almost a quarter  ( 22 per cent )  of key informants interviewed in hard to reach areas report that women and children avoid health facilities for security reasons, further reducing the easy availability of care.
Patriarchal norms, which are prevalent throughout the whole country, cause violence against and restrict the movements of women outside of the home. This is especially true outside the major centres in non government controlled areas  ( NGCA ) .As a result, women are blocked from seeking and accessing a range of life saving services such as critical healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health care, leading to some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
Prior to the pandemic, humanitarians estimated that 3.6 million women and girls would need life saving GBV services in 2020, such as psychosocial support, GBV case management, legal assistance, community mobilisation for awareness and to facilitate access to referrals, dignity kits and prevention and risk mitigation efforts. With the onset of the pandemic and its follow on impacts that are disproportionally impacting on women and girls, that number has more than doubled to 7.4 million in 2021.
The 2020 WoA Assessment finds that both displaced and non displaced households are overwhelmingly dealing with feelings of distress. These feelings are particularly common among refugee heads of household, with 92 per cent reporting that they had experienced distress in the two weeks prior to data collection.
Fear of COVID 19 is also leading to stigmatisation of people who are often baselessly assumed to be carrying the disease to communities. This is particularly true for those who have returned from Iran where COVID 19 rates were reported to be exceptionally high, especially during the first half of the year when the virus was first taking hold.
Reported dependence on verbal rental agreements and high rent burdens, especially among women  headed and recent IDP households have contributed to increased shelter insecurity and economic fragility among households. For example, 14 per cent of displaced households and 37 per cent of refugees reported having no tenancy agreement.
The WoA Assessment found that 82 per cent of households reported paying for healthcare, with particularly high rates among refugees  ( 92 per cent ) .
In the WoA Assessment, a quarter  ( 26 per cent )  of displaced households reported a boy aged 11 17 working outside the home in the preceding 30 days. This is compared to 3 per cent of displaced households who reported a girl aged 11 17 working outside the home in the preceding 30 days. There are no significant differences in this pattern between the surveyed population groups and no apparent difference between reporting rates for male heads of household and female household members, indicating the use of child labour to supplement household income is pervasive and accepted.
An additional 1.1 million children under five and 446,000 PLW, mothers and caretakers will also be nutritionally ‘at  risk' in 2021.
According to the 2020 Global Report on Food Crises, Afghanistan is ranked as the third worst crisis country globally, and food insecurity has significantly worsened since the coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID 19 )  broke out in the country.
After slow growth of 2.6 percent  ( year on year )  in 2018, broad money grew at a slightly faster pace of 5.7 percent  ( year on year )  in 2019 reflecting gradual economic recovery. Reserve money growth picked up in December to 10.6 percent  ( year on  year )  driven by increased government spending, but partly offset by DAB's  [ Da Afghanistan Bank ]  increased foreign exchange interventions. Growth of reserve money mainly reflected a 13.6 percent  ( year on year )  increase in currency in circulation and a 12.4 percent  ( year  on year )  rise in banks' excess reserves with DAB.
Actual numbers are suspected to be much higher, as limitations on testing facilities give only a partial picture, and continuous migration flows from Iran  ( with 300,000 returns between 1 January and 30 May )  increase community transmission
Heading into 2021, updated analysis has indicated that, despite success in scaling up humanitarian assistance to meet increased need, the overwhelming, multi dimensional impact of COVID 19 has resulted in another large increase in the number of people in humanitarian need at 18.4m people for 2021   this is almost double the number a year ago.
The 4.4 million increase to 14.5 million people  ( up from 10.1 million in mid 2020 )  in the Health Cluster's number of people in need reflects both urgent COVID 19 related needs  ( including widespread need for information provision and measures to mitigate against additional waves of COVID 19 transmission ) , as well as non COVID 19 health needs, many of which that have been exacerbated due to delayed health seeking in 2020 been exacerbated due to delayed health seeking in 2020.
An increase in GBV and negative coping mechanisms  ( including child labour and child marriage )  have also contributed to the higher number.  ( Humanitarian need in the protection sector )
In the year to end May, an additional 86,419 were displaced due to conflict and an additional 300,512 refugees returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan.
Further, an estimated 5.6 million migrants have entered Afghanistan over the past 8 years. The returning population often joins the displaced population and has elevated needs initially for humanitarian assistance but also for more durable solutions that allow people to re enter and communities and re build lives. These populations are particularly vulnerable in times of economic downturn, lacking assets and social capital. They require directed assistance in terms of access to public services and efforts to bolster livelihoods.
Most provinces of Afghanistan have been affected by at least one disaster during the past 30 years, with thousands of lives lost and millions of people affected including destructive floods, earthquakes, droughts  ( about 17 million people affected ) , almost 9 per cent of the population are living with severe disability   many as a result of the ongoing conflict   and about a third of the population is without easy access to health facilities.
Across Afghanistan, the major triggers of displacement and emergency and protection needs during the period of May through July 2020 was conflict, insecurity and natural disasters. Of the total assessments during the period, 73% were triggered as a result of conflict or insecurity, 32% were as a result of natural disaster, and 8% were other causes
The 2020 WoA Assessment showed that health costs were the second most common reason, after food, for a household to have taken on debt, with average spending on healthcare in the 30 days prior to the assessment being 2327 AFN/$30.2
During the period, children were observed in multiple assessment sites to be engaged in collecting garbage for resale, potentially exposing them to harm through contact with hazardous objects and materials.Children were also frequently engaged in construction work with high levels of risk for harm.
One report by UNFPA suggests that 32 per cent of women who are victims of GBV have significant physical injury. This means that inability to access health care for GBV may have detrimental consequences on their survival.
Where forced and/or early marriage was reported, both girls and boys were reported to have limited agency in the process, but the average age was earlier for girls than for boys/men.
The impacts of restricted access to education for girls has wider implications on exposure to GBV, as girls not in school are more at risk of early and/or forced marriage such as in Wardak, and have lower health outcomes.
Within shock and displacement affected communities, persons living with disabilities and the elderly are at particular risk because they are less likely to be able to participate actively in decision making processes impacting their wellbeing, are often afforded less agency within social structures, and are less likely to have their needs met.
In Herat and Wardak, women  ( particularly ethnic minorities )  and children were reported to not have access to national IDs  ( tazkira ) , resulting in reduced movement and access to services, as well as under enrollment of children in school.
People with a disability struggle even more in terms of access to health services, despite their often elevated health needs. Firstly, they are less likely to be able to walk to a nearby health facility or escape from danger in the event of a natural disaster. Secondly, their situation often leaves them in a precarious economic situation unable to generate the income they need, therefore, limiting their ability to seek healthcare even more.
Prices  [ for basic household goods ]  seem to have moderated since April, following distribution of wheat from strategic grain reserves, enforcement of anti price gouging regulations, and the reopening of borders for food imports.
An MSF report into hospitals care in Hilmand and Hirat provinces shows that 41 per cent of carers and patients stated that a family member, friend or neighbour had died due to lack of access to medical care between 2018 and 2019.
Access to health care is also particularly challenging for shock affected people. The majority of displaced households reported having to walk more than an hour to the nearest healthcare facility. This is most serious in Daykundi  ( 60 per cent )  and Sar e Pul  ( 58 per cent ) .
Industry and services have been severely impacted by the COVID 19 crisis. Border closures are impacting exporting firms and those that rely on imported inputs.
Due to the negative financial and psychosocial impacts of debt that create cycles difficult for individuals and households to break away from, prevention and response programming is recommended through multiple entry points.
In 2021, around 3.1 million out of 7 million, or almost 1 in 2 children under five will suffer from acute malnutrition and will be in need of specialised treatment services to save their lives. Of these, 2.2m will be moderately malnourished while the other 895,000 will be severely malnourished. Similarly, an estimated 720,000 or 1 in 4 PLW will be undernourished and require life saving nutrition services throughout the year.
Lockdown measures have so far had limited impact on agricultural production, remaining unenforced in rural areas.
While progress has been made toward this transition  [ of transitioning the refugee response from UNHCR to the government of Afghanistan ] , UNHCR recognises that additional support to the Government is still required to ensure their capacity to assume responsibility for this population.
It also takes into account  [ the government refugee response ]  the strong social and cultural ties between the displaced people  ( primarily from the Waziri, Dawar, Saidgi and Masood tribes )  and their host communities.
There is a high risk that Nomadic Kuchi herders will not be able to safely move their herds to their winter pastures in September, and will not have adequate access to veterinary inputs and animal feed/fresh fodder, due to conflict, movement restrictions and market closures.
For the fifth year in a row Afghanistan is listed as the deadliest conflict for children.
Despite efforts to improve transparency and root out corruption in both the public and private sector, corruption continues to plague the country. In a recent perception survey, 95 per cent of people view corruption as a major problem for Afghanistan as a whole, and 85 per cent perceive it as a problem in their daily life.
In addition to the immediate physical trauma inflicted on victims of this violence, 85 per cent of victims interviewed by UNAMA report that the incident had cause long  term physical disability and disfigurement. 100 per cent of victims report emotional and mental stress, many with manifestations such as nightmares or trouble sleeping.
In contrast to the national trend of an overall reduction in civilian casualties, nine provinces witnessed an increase in civilian casualties compared to last year: Balkh, Samangan, Jawzjan, Badakhshan, Ghor, Kapisa, Logar, Khost and Bamyan.
Children also continued to be forced into active conflict in 2020. UNAMA verified 155 children being recruited and used by armed groups between 1 January and 30 September 2020. This is more than three times the number of children recruited and used during the same period in 2019 but is still likely to be a gross under estimate of recruitment overall.
Only 5 per cent of key informants in assessed hard  to reach settlements reported having piped water as their primary water source; 22 per cent reported relying on surface water, 23 per cent reported using an unprotected spring, well or kariz water and 2 per cent reported relying on water trucking/tankering.
[ START THERE : GOOD LUCK: )  ]  The WoA Assessment showed that 48 per cent of boys and 59 per cent of girls were out of school or Community Based Education  ( CBE )  prior to the introduction of school closures for COVID 19.
According to UN OCHA, an estimated 65,000 individuals fled their homes due to conflict across the country between January 1 and 26 April 2020. The largest number of displacements occurred in the eastern provinces where 27,840 people were displaced and the northeastern provinces where 11,400 individuals were displaced. The number of internal displacements during this time was 65 percent lower compared to the same period of last year  ( January April 2019 ) , attributed laregly to peace negotiations.
Encouraged by a series of discussions with the authorities and relevant stakeholders, UNHCR determined in early 2018 to transition coordination of the response to the 72,000 refugees in Khost and Paktika to the Government of Afghanistan. The assumption of responsibility for this population by the Government was considered a positive development, in accordance with the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework and Afghanistan's obligations as a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
69 per cent of displaced people  [ in the north ]   ( 55 per cent for overall shock affected )  preferring to receive information from religious and community leaders compared to 26 per cent of displaced people  ( 26 per cent for overall shock affected )  preferring by phone. It is likely that the lower preference for phone communication was driven by mobile service shutdowns in the north during the assessment period, given that preferences for phone communications were much higher there the previous year. This speaks to the volatility of results and the need for responders to constantly cross check communication choices.
Emergency and transitional shelter needs remain high, particularly among new and longer term IDPs, refugees and returnees who require core emergency shelter assistance, as well as longer term shelter to recover and establish a stable and safe place to live.
The frequent targeting of schools by armed groups further disincentivises families from sending children to school with risks of potential violence and IEDs en route too high a price for many parents.
Many others were also unaware of the existence of alternative education options. Some 66 per cent of settlements in the 120 most inaccessible districts of Afghanistan reported not knowing about alternative educational options, while 44 per cent of key informants in informal settlements across Afghanistan reported no alternative forms of education being available once schools were closed.
Only 38 per cent of recent returnees and 34 per cent of non recent returnees, reported that they had a child in a school with handwashing facilities.
According to WFP's market monitoring, as of 3 December 2020, the average wheat flour price  ( low price and high price )  increased by more than 11 per cent between 14 March and 2 December, while the cost of pulses, sugar, cooking oil and rice  ( low quality )  increased by 21 per cent, 19 per cent, 36 per cent, and 21 per cent, respectively, over the same period. This price increase is accompanied by declining purchasing power of casual labourers and pastoralists – which have deteriorated by 13 per cent and almost 16 per cent respectively  ( compared to 14 March ) .
A staggering 59 per cent of households reported reduced income and 55 per cent of households reported loss of employment.
The crisis or emergency use of livelihood coping strategies was particularly high for recent IDPs, indicating fewer safety nets to fall back on in places of displacement.
Household debt has become a pervasive negative coping mechanism utilised by vulnerable families to survive the impact of the pandemic, ongoing conflict and recurrent natural disasters.
Prevalence and scale of indebtedness has increased considerably for all population groups in 2020 compared to 2019. This increase appears to be most severe for refugee households.
The World Health Organisation  ( WHO )  notes that decades of conflict have left an estimated 800,000 Afghans  ( 2.7 per cent of the population )  with a range of severe disabilities. This is only a portion of people with disabilities overall, especially when considering psychological and mental health issues.
The pervasive disregard for international law  ( both Human Rights and Humanitarian )  in the conduct of hostilities by all parties to the conflict leaves civilians with few options to secure their safety as people continue to suffer from indiscriminate attacks, public and private lands are left littered with ERW, and civilians are blocked from accessing life saving aid.