Global Humanitarian Overview 2024

Asia

People in Need at launch (Dec. 2023)
50.8 million
People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2023)
31.3 million
Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2023)
$5.5 billion

Asia and the Pacific is the most disaster-prone region in the world, highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards. In 2022, over 140 disasters struck the Asia-Pacific region, affecting over 64 million people and leading to over 7,500 deaths. Nearly 80 per cent of the world’s climate-induced displacement happens in Asia and the Pacific, mostly triggered by climate-related and geological hazards such as monsoon rains, floods, tropical cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides. As a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), disasters cause more damage in Asia-Pacific than in any other region, and the gap appears to be widening. Last year alone, disasters in the region caused economic damages estimated at US$57 billion.

Asia-Pacific is also home to several conflicts and protracted crises, with 7 million refugees and asylum seekers and some 5 million internally displaced people. The region hosts the world’s largest refugee settlement in the Cox’s Bazar District of Bangladesh where one million Rohingya refugees continue to rely entirely on humanitarian assistance for protection, food, water, shelter and health. The crises in both Afghanistan and Myanmar continue to deteriorate, with significant impacts on the humanitarian situation in both countries, and the potential for repercussions across the region as civilians continue to flee conflict and instability. Small-scale and localized conflicts also characterize some countries in the region, including the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, with significant humanitarian impacts.

The drivers of humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities in Asia Pacific are increasingly multidimensional, with widespread economic downturns and cost-of-living increases compounding the effects of climate induced disasters, conflicts, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of 2022, some 69 million people in Asia-Pacific were acutely food insecure – 41.5 million people more compared to pre-pandemic levels. As of August 2023, over 28 million people in Asia and the Pacific were using coping strategies corresponding to Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3 (Crisis) or above.

In 2023, requirements for the region’s eight response plans (HRP, RRP and HCRP) reached almost $6.43 billion to assist 45.3 million of 77.2 million people in need. With the increased frequency and severity of disasters in the region, the number of humanitarian priority countries in Asia Pacific has grown from seven countries in 2017 to 15 countries in 2023. This is based on a Regional Focus Model developed by the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) which identifies and analyzes where crises requiring international assistance is likely to occur.

Against this backdrop, as of mid-2023, effects attributable to a developing El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are starting to be seen, with potential for further extreme weather events across the region. Evidence indicates that El Niño may induce water stress, changes in ocean temperatures, increased risk of forest fires and higher incidences of disease. It is also a threat multiplier that will erode coping capacities and aggravate existing vulnerabilities, including food insecurity. In 2024, it is likely that several countries in the region will be faced with multiple, compound disasters, raising the possibility that additional people will require humanitarian assistance.

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. 

Aid in Action

Maintaining Afghan women’s participation in the response  

Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Mobile medical teams treat the injured after an earthquake.

Increased protection risks to women and girls associated with the highly restrictive rights environment and diminishing ability to access assistance and services – particularly following the De-facto Authorities' (DfA) ban on Afghan women working for the UN and I/NGOs – have added yet another layer of complexity to an incredibly challenging protection environment.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Framework of Operations and subsequent Monitoring Report (Afghanistan Pulse Check) was developed to track the constraints facing Afghan women participating in the humanitarian response, and their continued ability to be able to reach the most vulnerable populations, especially women and girls. The report outlines the ability of UN agencies and I/NGO partners to maintain a principled response within the operating environment, including analysis of humanitarian staffing composition and working modalities. The ongoing difficulties that organisations face as they negotiate women’s participation in programming, response achievements and challenges and the impact of severe underfunding are also highlighted.

According to the monitoring report findings, humanitarian actors have been able to reach similar numbers of people with life-saving assistance compared to the same period in 2022 (21.5 million people between January and June 2023 compared to 22.9 million people during the same period in 2022). In 2023, they have not only resumed but also scaled up programmes that had initially been suspended. Humanitarian actors have also successfully secured local arrangements with the DfA which enabled Afghan women staff to participate across all areas of the response—from assessments to distributions and monitoring.

Despite these achievements, challenges remain, including uneven reinforcement of bans countrywide, lengthy negotiations for women’s access, heightened risks of sexual exploitation of abuse, and feelings of isolation, stress, and fear among Afghan women staff. While steps have been taken to address these issues, more dedicated efforts are required to ensure that women’s meaningful participation is mainstreamed throughout both programmes and workplaces.

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.  

Aid in Action

Herat earthquake response 

Afghanistan
Gyan district, Pakitika Province, Afghanistan
A woman mixes dough, a traditional yogurt drink, in her damaged home, one year after the June 2022 earthquake.

Three powerful (6.3 magnitude) earthquakes struck Herat Province on 7, 11 and 15 October affecting 1.6 million people with high-intensity shaking (MMI 6+) and leaving at least 275,000 in 482 villages in immediate need of humanitarian assistance. Based on the latest assessments, the earthquakes left 1,480 people dead and more than 2,000 wounded. The earthquakes struck highly vulnerable communities – who are already grappling with decades of conflict and under-development – leaving them with little resilience to cope with multiple simultaneous shocks. The earthquakes also came at the start of Afghanistan’s lean season and immediately before the harsh winter months, when households’ food resources are most constrained.  

In the immediate aftermath of the first earthquake, humanitarian response teams were deployed to deliver urgent life-saving assistance, including trauma care and immediate medical support. Joint assessment teams comprised of both men and women were rapidly deployed to assess the impact of the earthquakes and guide response efforts, identifying more than 10,000 homes destroyed and 20,000 severely damaged buildings. In-country internal surge deployment to Herat from national and sub-national clusters enhanced local coordination efforts and enabled local staff to attend to their personal and family needs, enhancing duty of care provisions. 

Within 24 hours of the first earthquake, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) allocated US$5 million in immediate funding to expedite the delivery of essential, life-saving shelter, food, health, and WASH assistance. Subsequently, US$5 million in CERF Rapid Response and an additional US $5 million in AHF funding were allocated to bolster response efforts. Immediate funding has enabled the distribution of more than 14,000 emergency tents and 86,000 food packages, and more than 48,000 affected families have been reached with clean water.

In the aftermath of the earthquakes, OCHA served as a critical intermediary between the De-facto Authorities (DfA) and the humanitarian community. A daily movement system was implemented to facilitate approval processes and coordinate humanitarian team activities, ensuring their safety and efficiency. OCHA also worked with provincial-level DfA to coordinate response distributions and reduce duplication in the delivery of bi-lateral aid donations contributed by some Member States, the private sector and charity organizations.   

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

Myanmar

  • Current People in Need
    18.6 million
  • Current People Targeted
    5.3 million
  • Current Requirements (US$)
    $993.5 million
Go to HRP page to see current planning figures
People in Need at launch (Dec. 2023)
18.6 million
People Targeted at launch (Dec. 2023)
5.3 million
Requirements (US$) at launch (Dec. 2023)
$994.0 million
Total population
56.0 million
INFORM Severity Index
5 / Very high
Consecutive appeals
2013 – 2024

Crisis overview and projections

Myanmar remains a complex, protracted protection crisis. The people of Myanmar continue to face an unprecedented human rights, humanitarian and political emergency that is posing grave protection risks for civilians, limiting access to vital services including health and education, and driving deep food insecurity. Humanitarian needs have worsened across the country as conflict continues to rage, causing unprecedented levels of displacement, destruction of property and livelihoods, and mine and other explosive ordnance contamination, especially in the Northwest and Southeast. This has created dire protection threats and underscores the need for the centrality of protection to be implemented and funded across the response. The use of heavy weapons, including air strikes and artillery fire, continues to claim lives and pose risks to the safety and security of civilians, while raids, random searches and arrests are of deep concern. Forced recruitment – including of children – is being increasingly reported.

In 2024, 18.6 million people are in humanitarian need. This is almost 19 times the number prior to the military takeover and equivalent to a third of the population. This includes 6 million children, who are bearing the brunt of this crisis. The spread of conflict has driven unprecedented displacement, with the number of IDPs steeply increasing to 2 million as of 23 October 2023, which is nearly 600,000 more than at the same time last year. There are fears that this trend will continue into 2024. More than one million IDPs are being hosted in the hard-to-reach Northwest alone. IDPs are living in terrible conditions without proper shelter, often in informal sites in the jungle where they cannot easily access basic services, such as clean water. The monsoon in the second half of 2023 has been particularly miserable for people in these informal sites. Those on the move in unfamiliar locations are at escalating risk from explosive ordnance (landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices). People living in protracted displacement, from conflicts prior to the military takeover, are also facing desperate situations with pre-existing vulnerabilities further compounded by the current situation and Cyclone Mocha, particularly for stateless Rohingya people. Extremely severe Cyclone Mocha hit the Myanmar coast on 14 May 2023, bringing wind gusts of up to 305 km/h, storm surge and accompanying heavy rains, and impacting more than 3 million people in an area where needs were already high.

Heading into 2024, 12.9 million people are moderately or severely food insecure, with food accessibility and availability presenting challenges. Agriculture has been heavily interrupted. Soaring poverty is making it difficult for households to put adequate food on the table and coping capacity is stretched to the limit. As a result of conflict, rights violations, and the adoption of negative coping strategies, more than 12.2 million people are considered to have protection needs, up from 11.5 million the previous year. Despite the dire humanitarian situation of affected people, including IDPs, the military-led State Administration Council has continued to control and limit the transportation of rice, medicine, and fuel, as well as humanitarian access to people in need throughout many parts of the country, but particularly in the Northwest and Southeast. Heavy fighting between ethnic armed organizations and the Myanmar Military in the final quarter of 2023 has driven surging displacement and further constrained access to people in need.

The combination of the considerable underfunding of the response, inflation, access restrictions and interruptions to services has resulted in many needs going unaddressed and worsening over time. There is a serious threat that basic services will collapse throughout the country. Since the military takeover many children are still not attending school. More than 30 per cent of school-age children are not enrolled in any form of learning, while half of the children has had their learning heavily disrupted for the past three years due to conflict, displacement, economic hardships, and natural disasters. While efforts are underway to support alternative education solutions, these are currently only reaching a fraction of children. This situation places children at much higher risk of negative coping mechanisms such as child labour, trafficking, and early marriage and reduces the likelihood of permanent disengagement from education the longer it goes on. The health sector is facing similar strain, with interruptions due to conflict, attacks on health structures and staff, funding, availability of medical supplies and pressure on people not to use public services. This is contributing to worsening maternal and child health outcomes, missed routine immunizations and poor emergency care for pregnant women. While ethnic and community health organizations and alternative private services are working to cover gaps, response capacity is not commensurate with needs. Private providers are also too expensive for many people amid the current economic distress.

Response priorities in 2024

In 2024, humanitarian partners will work towards the following strategic objectives:

  1. Protection risks and needs are identified, monitored, mitigated, and met for 3 million people, while the centrality of protection is upheld across the humanitarian response including through promotion of respect for human rights, international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles. (Protection)
  2. Suffering, morbidity, and mortality is prevented or reduced among 3.7 million displaced, returned, stateless and other crisis-affected people experiencing or at risk of food insecurity, malnutrition, and health threats. (Food, Nutrition, Health)
  3. At least 2.5 million returned, stateless and other crisis-affected people have safe, tailored, timely and dignified access to essential services and support to ensure their survival and prevent deterioration of their humanitarian needs. (Education, Shelter, WASH)

The HRP target of 4.5 million at the start of 2023 went up to 5 million post-Cyclone Mocha in May 2023, and has now modestly increased to 5.3 million in 2024. The new target amounts to 29 per cent of the total PiN of 18.6 million people. Given the centrality of protection to the crisis, the Protection Cluster is largely driving the overall increase in people targeted for humanitarian assistance, as the Cluster expanded its target significantly from 2.1 million to 3 million. Overall, there is a high correlation between the intensity of security incidents, the severity of needs and subsequent targeting decisions under the HNRP. (See maps below)

Myanmar

There is a high correlation between the intensity of security incidents, the severity of needs and subsequent targeting decisions under the HNRP

OCHA

Given the sheer magnitude of the PiN, the funding landscape, and capacity constraints, the HCT prioritized the response according to severity of needs and operational capacity.

  • More focus on IDPs, returnees/resettled/integrated IDPs, and non-displaced stateless people and less on the fourth population group – “other crisis-affected people.”
  • More focus on hard-to-reach rural areas and those with the most severe needs, while being realistic about potential reach, given access and capacity constraints.
  • Resilience, DRR, most prevention and basic social services-type activities have been transferred to the development objectives outlined in the soon to be finalized UN Transitional Cooperation Framework (TCF) for Myanmar to allow for greater focus on acute needs by humanitarians. The HNRP will include a dedicated section looking at “humanitarian consequences if development actors fail to raise enough funds.”

The Myanmar humanitarian funding requirement went up from US$764 million at the start of 2023, to $887 million after Cyclone Mocha in May 2023, and now to US$994 million in 2024. The latest increase is the result of the more ambitious 2024 response target, the rise in costs of delivering assistance in hard-to-reach and insecure areas, as well as the inclusion of duty of care overheads for the first time. Inflation continues to play a major role in the costing of commodity-heavy clusters, especially where no alternatives are available in-country and cash is not viable.

Humanitarians have planned for the current situation to continue into 2024 with the potential for elections, if they take place, to be a possible trigger for increased tensions and further access restrictions. While there have been modest access openings in 2023, these were very localized, and the overall access environment is expected to remain heavily constrained, requiring a strong reliance on, and risk sharing with, local responders who are now the backbone of the response. Humanitarian operating space is under increasing threat from bureaucratic blockages imposed by the military-led State Administration Council around registration, travel, banking, and visas and continued advocacy will be required around the impacts of these constraints on the humanitarian response. Humanitarians will continue to engage with all parties in a bid to secure access, promote principled responses that are based on needs and raise civilian protection issues.

Myanmar

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