Highlights
• WFP will continue to meet the needs of returnees and internally displaced persons previously served under its emergency operation (which finished on 31 December) under the PRRO.
• WFP, UNOPS and UNHCR made significant progress towards establishing an interagency call centre.
• Security remains the greatest impediment to food security in the country; traders report challenges getting food to markets in the eastern district of Khogiany due to the presence of anti-government elements.
• WFP faces funding shortfalls from February 2018 and urgently needs USD 179 million to assist vulnerable women, men, girls and boys.
Operational Updates
• WFP ended its emergency operation, which began in October 2016 to meet the needs of high numbers of returnees from Pakistan. WFP will continue to meet the needs of returnees and IDPs through the PRRO from January to June 2018.
• In December, WFP assistance reached 965,000 foodinsecure men, women, boys and girls with 8,000mt of food and USD 3.28 million in cash.
• WFP’s mobile vulnerability analysis and mapping unit (mVAM) published a Market Assessment Bulletin for Badakhshan province and conducted a rapid emergency shelter assessment jointly with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Khogiany province. The Market Assessment Bulletin found that the presence of anti-government elements (AGEs) in some of the surrounding villages has prevented traders from reaching some district markets. AGE activity has also caused road closures to Kuf Ab, Wakhan and Darwaz districts, whilst illegal taxation, high transportation cost and bad road conditions hindered traders’ access and pushed up the food prices. The mVAM rapid emergency shelter assessment shows that 29 percent of respondents (20 people) have seen a deterioration in their living conditions because the hospitality of host families is wearing out.
• WFP, UNOPS and UNHCR have made significant progress towards establishing an ECHO-funded interagency call centre for Afghanistan. The call centre will help to improve accountability to affected populations, while harmonising activities between UN agencies.
• Using SCOPE, WFP’s beneficiary management system, WFP provided USD 750,000 in cash-based transfers to 10,000 households in Kabul and Kandahar. Since January 2017, WFP has registered 483,407 beneficiaries with SCOPE.
• 320,000 vulnerable women, men, boys and girls benefited from WFP seasonal support, which provides assistance during the harsh winter months.
• The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) transported 1,459 aid workers and 4.8mt of light cargo. In Afghanistan, 160 organizations rely on UNHAS to reach populations in need.
Challenges
• Afghan returnees: WFP Afghanistan is preparing for a possible increase in returns from Pakistan, following the announcement that the Government of Pakistan may force undocumented migrants to leave at the end of January.
• Funding shortage: In 2018, WFP needs USD 179 million to implement its programme activities. The funds shortfall is estimated to begin in the month of April, affecting a number of activities.