OVERVIEW
Between January and June 2023, humanitarian organizations operating in Afghanistan provided aid to 20.1 million individuals for food and livelihood, 8.4 million for healthcare, 3.1 million children and pregnant/lactating women for malnutrition, 6.2 million for water, sanitation, and hygiene, 1.3 million children for education, 405,700 for emergency shelter and household items, and 1.6 million for protection. Overall, the humanitarian response in 2023 reached a total of 23.6 million people, out of which 21.5 million received direct assistance. The funding for these efforts relied on $850 million carried over from 2022, supplemented by minimal new funding in 2023 (amounting to $712 million by May). Due to limited resources, there were fewer rounds of assistance and reduced rations. Consequently, 18 million individuals in IPC 3+ areas didn't receive food aid, and 3.4 million people received half rations, including those in IPC 4 areas. Bans on Afghan women working for international and non-governmental organizations (I/NGOs) and the United Nations (UN) have added complexity to the already challenging operational and protection environment. Despite these challenges, the humanitarian community is striving for an expanded response, prioritizing quality through risk mitigation and common tools to ensure minimum standards for quality programming. Given the evolving operational circumstances, the 2023 HRP was revised in May. The purpose of this revision was to evaluate the accuracy of initial planning assumptions and make necessary adjustments to the response strategy. In light of the revision, humanitarian partners now aim to continue to assist 21.3 million people with a budget of $3.2 billion throughout 2023. This allocation includes $2.26 billion to cover unmet needs between June and December. In the coming months, millions of people who have received assistance will require ongoing support. This includes tailored packages to address various needs including food, cash, healthcare, education, suitable shelter, and access to water. As of July, critical supplies for ES-NFI, WASH and FSAC face pipeline break risks due to funding gaps, particularly pulses, wheat flour, and vegetable oil. Urgent funding is crucial to procure and distribute necessary supplies, manage delays at borders, navigate disruptions in markets, and pre-position relief items in highly affected areas.