Highlights
WFP distributed food, cash-based transfers and specialised nutritious food to 270,000 vulnerable people, mostly women and children, across Afghanistan.
WFP completed a pilot for remote monitoring of programmes using the mobile vulnerability assessment and mapping tool, mVAM. The pilot will inform WFP’s efforts to maintain consistent access to the most vulnerable in the hardest-to-reach areas.
WFP launched the end to end roll-out of SCOPE, WFP’s electronic platform for the management of beneficiaries and distributions. WFP aims to register and manage assistance to 2 million people through SCOPE by June 2018.
Operational Updates
Results of a food security assessment conducted by the Government of Afghanistan and Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) partners in the eastern region revealed that nearly two thirds of households (64.2 percent) are food-insecure. Urgent action is needed to save lives and livelihoods in this region, which hosts 760,000 vulnerable returnees.
In June, WFP’s Emergency Operation was extended by six months to accommodate the emergency food needs of an additional 633,000 highly vulnerable people, including returnees, and internally displaced people (IDPs) country-wide.
During the same period, WFP and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) conducted a joint-district-level food security assessment of 55,000 vulnerable Pakistani refugees in Khost and Paktika provinces. The results will inform the design of livelihood interventions.
The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), transported 1,278 aid workers and 8.75 mt of cargo to 20 destinations in-country in June. In Afghanistan, 160 organizations rely on UNHAS to reach populations in need.
Challenges
Insecurity remained a challenge for the delivery of the assistance across the country.
Shrinking humanitarian space and access to populations in need remain a challenge.
Delivery of food in the country: The main corridor through the port of Karachi, Pakistan, is currently threatened with closure due to ongoing tensions between the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan. WFP Afghanistan coordinated with WFP Iran to open a corridor for the delivery of food from the Iranian port, Bandar Abbas.
Funding shortages: WFP urgently needs USD 63.6 million to respond to the most urgent needs of highly vulnerable populations affected by conflict, migration and food insecurity, until the end of the year.