Issue 7: June 2009

Key Points • Numerous security incidents targeted NGOs in June • Mitigation measures needed for expected flooding in North • Polio eradication campaign in Southern region • Civilian casualty numbers reflect intensification of conflict • Upcoming launch of HAP Mid-Year Review

I. Humanitarian Overview development, coordinated by OCHA, ANDMA, and ACBAR. Regional stocktaking is underway, but it is Access already apparent that high-quality sandbags and gabions Attacks on aid workers appeared to increase in June, for the river flood plains are urgently needed. particularly in the north and northeastern regions which Northeastern region: All four provinces in the northeast had previously been considered relatively safe. Most are considered at risk for further flooding (Kunduz and tragically, on 23 June a roadside bomb killed three Baghlan from both rainfall and snowmelt and Takhar and national staff of the NGO Development and Humanitarian Badakhshan from snowmelt). Gabions and sandbags are Services in (DHSA) in Jawzjan province. urgently needed for flood mitigation activities along river Other attacks were reported on NGO vehicles and on UN banks and critical irrigation canals. The Humanitarian offices. A convoy of WFP trucks was stopped in Chast Flood Task Force in Kunduz is carrying out a stocktaking Sharif district in and later released after exercise and developing a common strategy for mediation efforts. The trend continues to hold that NGO assessments. national staff members are at greatest risk. Particularly in the Northeast, there are concerns about the UNDSS expects that the security situation will continue capacity of local actors to participate in an emergency to deteriorate in the coming months, owing to the response, and external support may be needed. The elections and to seasonal trends. Humanitarian agencies availability of timely funding for relief activities is also a are encouraged to review their field activities and concern. preparedness plans accordingly. Winterization Flooding Winterization preparedness has begun in some regions. Most emergency needs from the April and May floods in Planning for extreme winter conditions is also part of the the North and Northeastern regions have been met, with ongoing multi-hazard contingency planning process. All the exception of shelter and water. A regional shelter humanitarian agencies are encouraged to participate in working group has been established in Mazar and an winterization planning at the earliest opportunity in order assessment of shelter needs in the North is ongoing, to ensure that adequate stocks are in place before access although it has been delayed in some areas by insecurity. to affected areas is lost. It is crucial that flood-affected families have access to adequate shelter before the winter. A long-term solution Use of Schools and Clinics in Elections for water for IDPs in Jawzjan province also needs to be The humanitarian community is concerned that the use of identified. Food security is also a concern; canals need to schools and clinics as polling places in the Presidential be cleaned and seeds replaced to avoid a food crisis in the and Provincial Council elections in August will have an coming months. FAO plans to distribute seeds and adverse affect on access to education and health care in fertilizer in Jawzjan. conflict areas. In response to these concerns, the IEC has There are concerns about additional flooding in July and asked its representatives at the province/district level to August in the following areas: meet with counterparts to try to identify alternative polling places. Although it will not be possible Northern region: , Jawzjan, and Samangan everywhere, priority efforts should be made to find provinces are likely to be affected by flooding of the Amu alternate spaces in conflict areas. Darya river. Gradual flooding has already started and 14 villages in Kaldar district, , have been UNAMA has recorded at least 28 attacks on schools since affected. A detailed contingency plan is under January 2009 in the West, East, Southeast, South, and

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) OCHA Afghanistan: http://ochaonline.un.org/afghanistan Monthly Humanitarian Update Issue 7: June 2009

Central regions, which in June included two schools UNHCR Bamiyan reports that there have been sporadic burned down in and one destroyed in a clashes between Kuchis and Hazaras in Behsud I and II rocket attack in . Some schools in the East districts in that left at least three have been issued threats warning them against being used dead and three injured. UNHCR has prepared a as polling stations. contingency plan for potential displacements resulting from the conflict and is holding regular coordination Displacements from Pakistan meetings with stakeholders. However, it is hoped that the OCHA has received reports of displacements from area will remain relatively calm for the rest of the Pakistan into Nangarhar and Kunar provinces in the summer. Eastern region and in the Southeast as a Southern Region result of the conflict in NWFP. The Pakistani government is also reported to have ordered Afghan refugees in Afghanistan is one of only four countries in which polio Bajaur agency to leave; it is expected that this will lead to has not been eradicated, largely because vaccination has an increase in returns. However, at the moment not been possible in parts of the Southern region due to information is extremely limited (and delivery of security and other constraints. According to WHO, of assistance difficult) because of the remoteness and seven polio cases reported this year, six were in the south. insecurity of the affected areas. In response to the gaps in previous vaccination efforts, WHO and UNICEF are launching a vaccination campaign ISAF Policy on White Vehicles in Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Helmand provinces with the ISAF reported to the Civil-Military Working Group that goal of eradicating polio by the end of 2009. most white NATO-owned vehicles have been repainted, UNAMA reports that 1,160 families displaced by conflict and that ISAF Headquarters and Regional Commands from Marja District to Lashkargah City in Helmand have given guidance that the remaining white vehicles Province received humanitarian assistance in June. should not circulate outside of military compounds (this Assistance also continued to 1,179 families from Zabul guidance applies to all ISAF vehicles, not just NATO- province and 1,505 families from Helmand and Uruzgan owned vehicles). Working Group participants appreciated who were displaced to Kandahar by earlier fighting. As NATO’s recognition of the need for distinction but for the protracted IDP caseload, UNHCR has registered suggested that further steps should be taken to distinguish 1,022 IDP families (7,193 individuals) for voluntary the vehicles as military vehicles. return to their places of origin this year. II. Regional Updates UNHCR Kandahar reports that 243 families (1,271 Western Region individuals) repatriated from Quetta, Pakistan in June. During the same period, 240 families and 6,376 single The PDMC in Farah province has distributed food and individuals were deported from Iran. NFIs provided by IOM, UNICEF, and WFP to 1,000 families affected by the aerial bombardment in Balluh III. Cluster Updates Balak district, Farah province in May. The conflict in Education Farah is expected to intensify, and more displacements are anticipated. OCHA is working with partners to ensure The cluster continues to advocate for the reopening of that timely assistance will be available. IOM, closed schools and for schools not to be used as polling ICRC/ARCS, and UNICEF are the only humanitarian places. The Ministry of Education reports that 210 out of actors operating in Farah. 673 closed schools were reopened in June. School protection meetings are to be held with local officials and Eastern Region communities in Farah, Badghis, and Herat provinces in The Department of Refugees and Repatriation (DoRR) is July. undertaking an assessment of approximately 1270 Emergency Shelter families (both refugees and returnees) who are reported to have been displaced from Bajaur agency in Pakistan and The cluster is developing guidelines for rapid shelter are living with host families in Kunar province. assessments for use in the field. The Technical Working Group is also planning to develop an extended NFI UNHCR reports that voluntary repatriation has been support package for use in natural disasters. suspended due to the insecurity in Pakistan. CARE announced that they have received funding to Central Highlands preposition NFIs and temporary shelter materials for

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 2 OCHA Afghanistan: http://ochaonline.un.org/afghanistan Monthly Humanitarian Update Issue 7: June 2009

acute emergencies in the following provinces: Ghazni, The casualty figures reflect the intensification and spread Wardak, Logar, Paktya, Kabul, Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir of the conflict. In June, 92 civilians died in the South, 74 and Kandahar. because of AOGs, 15 because of PGFs, and 3 for which responsibility could not be attributed. In the Eastern Food Security and Agriculture region, 16 civilians were killed (9 by AOGs and 7 by The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock PGFs). 50 civilians died in the Southeastern region (one (MAIL) reported to the cluster that the agricultural more than was reported for May), 42 as a result of AOG harvest is predicted to be 63 percent higher than last year. attacks and 5 by PGFs. Sixteen civilians were killed in the WFP, through its Purchase for Progress (P4P) program, Central region, 7 by AOGs and 4 by PGFs. It is worth plans to purchase some food from surplus areas. noting that the numbers of civilian casualties attributed to PGFs in the Central region has been declining despite In May 2009, the average price of wheat flour was 3 increased troop activities directed against AOGs. percent higher than in April, 45 percent lower than in May 2008, and 50 percent higher than in May 2007. Airstrikes by International Military Forces (IMFs) continue to take a toll on civilians. Eighteen civilians Nutrition were killed in two separate incidents in the Central UNICEF has provided additional support to cluster Highlands – the first civilian casualties reported to members (Oxfam, IbnSina, Cordaid, AMI, ACF, Save the UNAMA from that region. In in the Children UK, and CHA) to expand community Western region, an airstrike on 6 June allegedly killed 5 management of acute malnutrition. civilians, including 3 children. Protection Insurgent activities, including IED and suicide attacks, also continue to affect civilians. In the Eastern region 6 The cluster is cooperating with the education and health civilians were killed in IED attacks and 11 others were clusters on the issue of the use of schools and clinics in injured. In late June, a series of IED and suicide attacks in the elections. Papers have also been developed on the in the Southeastern region killed 11 adults cluster strategy for advocacy and outreach on and two children and wounded at least 11 other children compensation schemes for victims of air strikes and on and 30 adults. the cluster’s relationship with the Civil Military Working Group. AOGs also continue abductions of those believed to be supportive of the Government and the international The IDP Task Force held a training session for 43 community, including humanitarian workers. On 23 June government officials from 7-10 June on response to in in Nimroz province in the Southern displacement. region, five health workers involved in a polio eradication Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene campaign were abducted but were released following mediation by local elders. In Kandahar and Uruzgan In response to the problem of lack of coordination and provinces, two people were reportedly hanged by Taliban information gaps between the national WASH cluster and because they were former government officials. In the provincial actors, the cluster lead and deputy are working East and Southeast there were several AOG attacks on to promote stronger links with regional WASH groups, military supply trucks and construction companies, and in modeled on the successful relationship with the in the Southeast a Provincial Council cluster. candidate was kidnapped and murdered by AOGs. In recognition of the fact that many elements of Afghanistan’s crisis are chronic in nature, the cluster is V. Funding developing response plans that focus on cost-effective 2009 Humanitarian Action Plan interventions by phasing out more expensive short-term emergency response activities as quickly as possible. Funding for the Humanitarian Action Plan (HAP) substantially improved in June, and according to FTS IV. Protection of Civilians now covers 68 percent of HAP requirements. However, if food (which is 92 percent funded) is excluded, non-food In June 2009, 213 civilian deaths were reported to sectors are only 24 percent funded. Key humanitarian UNAMA, of which 148 (69.5 percent) were attributed to sectors such as health (4 percent funded), protection (27 Armed Opposition Groups (AOGs) and 54 (25.3 percent) percent), and shelter/NFIs (33 percent) are highly to Pro-Government Forces (PGFs). Eleven casualties (5.2 underfunded. Therefore, the overall funding level percent) could not be attributed to either party. presents a skewed picture to donors and more donor

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 3 OCHA Afghanistan: http://ochaonline.un.org/afghanistan Monthly Humanitarian Update Issue 7: June 2009 outreach is needed to correct this. A local launch of the Working Group will revise the training materials and HAP Mid-Year Review is planned for 21 July in order to schedule a training in each region beginning in highlight the consequences of underfunding of critical September. Where appropriate, joint trainings will be held activities. for military and civilian actors. VI. Coordination Update VII. Upcoming Events Humanitarian Country Team ƒ 12-17 July: ACBAR 20th Anniversary Exhibition The five NGO representatives on the Humanitarian ƒ 21 July: Launch of HAP Mid-Year Review Country Team (HCT) are to rotate every six months.

ACBAR organized the election of new NGO representatives beginning in July; they are Oxfam, Contact Details CARE, NRC, AREA, and Merlin. The previous NGO representatives were ACBAR, IRC, CARE, ACTED, and Wael Haj-Ibrahim, Head of OCHA Afghanistan NRC. [email protected], phone: +93- (0)798993290 Civil-Military Coordination Deborah Murphy, Reporting Officer, OCHA Afghanistan [email protected], phone: +93- (0)795878708 On 11 June, a pilot session to disseminate the Civil- Military Guidelines for Afghanistan was held for 35 Jacco Snoeijer, Desk Officer, OCHA NY military, NGO, and UN participants. The session covered [email protected], phone: +1-212-963-0909 humanitarian principles, civil-military coordination, Elisabeth Byrs, Spokesperson, OCHA Geneva military and humanitarian actors in Afghanistan, and the [email protected], phone: +41 22 917 26 53 guidelines themselves. Stephanie Bunker, Spokesperson, OCHA NY Feedback from participants suggested that the training [email protected], phone: +1-917-367-5126 should include more interaction and focus more on country- and region-specific issues. The Civil-Military

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 4 OCHA Afghanistan: http://ochaonline.un.org/afghanistan