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UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific (RBAP): Flash External Update: Afghanistan Situation #17, As of 01 June 2022 (two-week coverage period)

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Afghanistan
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UNHCR
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HIGHLIGHTS

  • The humanitarian situation continues to remain challenging in Afghanistan. More than half of the population is currently dependent on life-saving and essential humanitarian assistance. This includes many internally displaced people, who often live-in makeshift settlements under difficult conditions.

  • In response to the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, UNHCR and partners have reached more than300,000 displaced people in nearly all provinces with essential relief and assistance since the beginning of the year. In addition, some 86,000 individuals have also benefited from health centres, schools, water systems and other infrastructure that - UNHCR has supported in areas prioritised for the return of refugees and IDPs.

  • For UNHCR’s assistance and relief programmes, this assistance in 2022 has included the following:

  • A priority for UNHCR’s work in Afghanistan remains the sustainable return and reintegration of displaced Afghans to their places of origin, with over 791,000 Afghans returning in 2021, as the security situation has stabilised in many parts of the country.

  • In the reporting period, UNHCR supported nearly 9,000 Afghans to return to their places of origin in Nili, Daikundini province, following years of internal displacement. UNHCR also distributed cash to support the reintegration of more than 1,500 people returning to Maidan Shahar district, which has helped them to restart their lives.

  • Since the start of the year, nearly 550 Afghan refugees have also returned from neighbouring countries under UNHCR’s facilitated voluntary repatriation programme. Cash assistance is provided to returnees at Encashment Centres, as well as a range of services, including basic health and malnutrition screening and vaccination, mine risk awareness, information on school enrolment, and overnight accommodation, should this be needed.

  • To support the distribution of assistance in Afghanistan, UNHCR has been utilising a new feature of the Global Distribution Tool (GDT), which allows the collection of electronic signatures. The deployment of GDT is part of a larger deployment together with Cash Assist and the Deduplication Tool (DDT) developed by the Data, Identity Management and Analysis Team. This is with the goal to strengthen accountability in the delivery of cash assistance by mitigating the risks of duplicating delivery of the same type of cash assistance to the same households.

  • In this connection, a GDT pilot took place in March in Sheberghan, Jowzjan Province, in Northwest Afghanistan supporting the cash distribution for reintegration and for shelter repair, during which over 100 households received cash assistance. Since the pilot, UNHCR has successfully completed deployments in other parts of the country and plans to cover 34 provinces by mid-July 2022.

  • During the reporting period, UNHCR in Afghanistan also successfully deployed a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) within the assessment tool for displaced persons, to automate identity information recording where electronic id cards or e-tazkiras are available. This speeds-up data collection and strengthens accountability in information gathering.

  • UNHCR’s Afghanistan situation response in 2022 (inside Afghanistan and in neighbouring host countries which are hosting Afghan refugees) has requirements of USD 609.5 million and is currently 61 per cent funded with USD 372 million received. UNHCR’s response inside Afghanistan in 2022 has requirements of USD 340.3 million and is currently 57 per cent funded with USD 193 million received.