Forty years of conflict, recurring natural disasters, chronic poverty, a series of droughts and the COVID-19 pandemic have left over 24 million people in Afghanistan in need of humanitarian aid. Political turmoil has exacerbated needs and further complicated an extremely difficult operational context, worsening an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, restrictions on participation in public life for Afghan women and girls have only increased since the summer of 2021, including barriers to their rights to education, work and free movement.
Around 17.2 million people in Afghanistan, or 40% of the population, suffer from high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC phase 3 or 4 ¹ ). In addition, several droughts leading into one another has put access to safe drinking water at greater risk in a country where only half of the urban population can safely obtain water.
¹ IPC, april 2023.