Global Humanitarian Overview 2024

Afghanistan

  • Current People in Need
    23.7 million
  • Current People Targeted
    17.3 million
  • Current Requirements (US$)
    $3.06 billion
People in Need at launch (Dec. 2023)
23.3 million
People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2023)
17.4 million 
Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2023)
3.0 billion
Total population
42.2 million
Income level
Low income
INFORM Severity Index
5 / Very high
Consecutive appeals
2009 – 2024

Crisis overview and projections

Afghanistan is experiencing the residual impact of decades of conflict, years of drought conditions, and chronic and continued poverty. The situation worsened after the severe economic decline experienced in the immediate aftermath of the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Despite the significant reduction in active military fighting, the crisis in Afghanistan remains first and foremost a protection crisis, aggravated by severe climate change impacts which have today created a water crisis – both urban and rural. Additionally, food security, health, nutrition, shelter, and education needs remain high.  In 2024, an estimated 23.3 million people will require humanitarian assistance to survive. 

The Afghan economy remains fragile, with most families struggling to maintain their livelihoods and relying heavily on international aid and remittances. Exclusion of women from economic participation hampers recovery efforts, while deflation and economic sensitivity to shocks persist. 

Increasingly, restrictive policies inhibiting women's rights, movement and participation in humanitarian action negatively impact global engagement and donor contributions to life-saving initiatives. These restrictions on women's work and freedom continued to grow stronger during 2023, with implications for education, healthcare, and other sectors. 

Increasing bureaucratic hurdles, reduced localized negotiation opportunities, and efforts to exercise control over humanitarian activities create delays in project registration and implementation.  

In the latter part of 2023, regional developments have triggered the return of thousands of undocumented Afghans and refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan, precipitating a returnee crisis that is poised to significantly influence humanitarian response efforts well into 2024. The surge in returns to Afghanistan was propelled by Pakistan's announcement on 3 October of a new policy targeting the deportation of undocumented Afghans, affecting approximately 1.3 million Afghans presently residing in Pakistan. As of mid-November, over 370,000 returns, encompassing voluntary returns and deportations, were reported, with a peak of 25,000 individuals per day in early November before stabilizing at approximately 5,000 per day. This influx includes highly vulnerable populations, including women and children with heightened protection needs. Boarder points and host communities have been placed under great strain. Humanitarian organizations have scaled up assistance providing medical screening, protection, counselling, legal assistance, food, transportation, WASH, and registration service but further support is needed, especially with the onset of Afghanistan’s harsh winter. Projections indicate that, by July 2024, more than 720,000 undocumented Afghans and 50,000 refugees are likely to return.

Afghanistan is also in the grips of a climate-induced crisis. Anticipated El Niño conditions in late 2023 and early 2024 could bring both opportunities and risks, including above-normal rainfall in some parts of the country, which might support drought recovery but also trigger flooding and crop pests. A close-to-average harvest is expected in 2024, with food security dependent on socio-economic conditions and factors like seed availability and fertilizers. However, multiple districts are now in severity 5 for water and sanitation emphasizing the severity of the ongoing water needs in areas of the country, where there is little prospect of near-term improvement.  

With the limited funding, humanitarian actors are forced to carry out stricter prioritization for the most in need and to set clear boundaries between humanitarian and basic human needs interventions. The lack of infrastructure (e.g., in WASH, and other sectors) is heavily contributing to compounding humanitarian needs. With a view to recovery, in addition to life-saving humanitarian funding, investments may be needed in sustainable livelihoods and infrastructure to improve resilience among the Afghan population in the face of shocks. 

Response priorities in 2024

The humanitarian response for Afghanistan in 2024 will prioritise the urgent and comprehensive needs of 23.3 million Afghan people in the face of the deteriorating protection environment for women and girls, three devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquakes in Herat Province that occurred in October 2023, and the increase in the return of undocumented Afghans since mid-September 2023. The response also prioritises acute WASH needs due to the consecutive years of drought conditions and climate change, as well as ongoing acute food security for millions. 

The provision of life-saving assistance, including food, emergency and safe drinking water, and healthcare, will remain a top priority. Food assistance will be provided to 15.8 million people in Afghanistan experiencing critical and severe phases of food insecurity. Humanitarian organisations will also focus on strengthening the healthcare system, maintaining, and supporting delivering lifesaving and life-sustaining health services by ensuring accountability to affected populations, disability inclusion, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, and gender-sensitive response. Furthermore, access to education for Afghan children, especially girls, remains a priority through continued support for Community-Based Education (CBE) and innovative alternative learning modalities. Additionally, efforts will be made to continue addressing malnutrition through the provision of acute malnutrition treatments and blanket supplementary feeding programs. 

The humanitarian response in Afghanistan will emphasise the protection of civilians, especially women and children, who are at heightened risk of violence and exploitation in the current context. This includes providing safe spaces, legal support, and psycho-social services for survivors of gender-based violence. Humanitarian actors will also work to facilitate the safe and dignified return of displaced populations to their homes while addressing the broader issue of explosive hazards. Long-term resilience-building initiatives, including vocational training and livelihoods support, will also be integrated into the response to enable Afghans to rebuild their lives and communities, fostering hope for a more stable future. 

It is imperative to acknowledge that the operational environment is likely to become more complex with the varying implementation of various procedures and instructions from the De-facto Authorities (DfA), including, but not limited to, ‘the procedure for coordination of humanitarian response’ and ‘the directive banning Afghan women humanitarian workers,’ forcing humanitarian actors to continue operations through cumbersome and labour-intensive negotiations. These could result in a shrinking humanitarian space, delayed project implementations, and increased interference by the DfA in program design and aid diversion. Furthermore, there is heightened scrutiny and monitoring of humanitarian operations, leading to a greater risk of violence against aid workers. This complex and evolving access scenario poses significant challenges for humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan.  

Humanitarian partners remain committed to delivering vital humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan’s most vulnerable, even in the face of reduced funding – only 34.3 per cent funded as of 31 October 2023 – and continue to emphasise the importance of women’s involvement in aid provision and monitoring of aid conditions. The humanitarian partners aim to provide at least one form of assistance to more than 20.6 million people, of which 52 per cent are women and girls, by the end of 2023. 

It is essential to recognise the shift from traditional humanitarian assistance to a focus on meeting the basic human needs of the Afghan population. The humanitarian actors will work closely with the Basic Human Needs actors to not only provide immediate relief but also empower communities to regain their self-sufficiency. Efforts will concentrate on supporting local capacities, livelihoods and water management to ensure that Afghans have the means to secure their food, shelter, and livelihoods. 

Afghanistan

References

  1. The proportion of humanitarian and women-led organizations reporting that they are ‘fully operating’ steadily increased from 22 per cent in February, to 29 per cent in March and 36 per cent in May, to 39 per cent in July 2023
  2. 41 per cent confirmed that they have secured local authorizations which enable their Afghan women staff to report to project locations, while 22 per cent indicate that they have negotiated with the DfA that their female staff can report to the office