The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Activity 29162 - HALO Humanitarian Mine Action and Cluster Ammunition activities 2016-2020 Progress Report, 2018, Afghanistan 1 January 2018 - 31 December 2018 Total grant: USD 6,135,442 HALO staff conducting community liaison together with DMAC representatives in Pechga village, Ruy Du Ab district, Samangan province, October 2018. Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Country Context ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Inputs ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Personnel .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Equipment................................................................................................................................................. 6 Outputs and Outcomes ................................................................................................................................. 7 Impact ..................................................................................................................................................... 12 Sustainability of Outcomes ..................................................................................................................... 13 Monitoring, evaluation and learning ...................................................................................................... 14 Gender Equality ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Coordination with National Authorities and Local Partners .................................................................. 16 Innovation ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Risks ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 Political/Security ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Security/Operations ................................................................................................................................ 18 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Annex A: Case Study ................................................................................................................................... 20 Annex C: Metrics Table with Outputs as reported in IATI .......................................................................... 23 Annex D: Metrics Table with Outcomes as reported in IATI ...................................................................... 25 2 www.halotrust.org Executive Summary With assistance from the Dutch government, this project offers immediate life-saving protection from the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) to Afghan civilians exposed to the physical and psychological impact of these devices. This report outlines the progress made between 1 January and 31 December 2018. During this period, HALO conducted mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), survey and mine risk education (MRE) in six provinces of Afghanistan. HALO’s activities were conducted predominately by staff recruited from mine-impacted communities, providing employment on a long-term basis to the rural poor. During this period, Dutch funding supported the deployment of 19,5 manual clearance teams, one mechanical clearance team, and one community outreach and risk education (CORE) team for 12 months. The teams achieved the following results during the reporting period: 1,191,053m2 of land was cleared and released to rural communities 184 anti-personnel (AP) mines, five anti-tank (AT) mines, 36 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO), 250 items of stray ammunition (SA) and 23 items small arms ammunition (SAA) were located and destroyed 6,912 men, women, boys and girls benefited directly and 16,228 men, women, boys and girls benefited indirectly from clearance and EOD activities 467 MRE sessions were delivered to 9,742 men, women, boys and girls 29 tasks were re-surveyed, cancelling 315,482 m2 of land previously recorded as being contaminated The project has the following intended outcomes: 1. Enhanced security and stability, reduced risk of death and injury to individuals and communities 2. Enhanced resilience of vulnerable groups through improved access to resources, livelihoods and socioeconomic reconstruction The majority of land cleared in 2018 will be used for grazing, which is one of the most important sources of livelihood in rural Afghanistan. Improved household income derived through employment as deminers as well as access to safe grazing and agricultural land contributed to increased human security, enhanced resilience to economic and natural shocks, and reduced likelihood of men participating in insurgency or illegal activities in communities targeted under this project. This directly contributes to NL Policy Framework goal 1 and sub-goals 1.1 and 1.3. HALO Afghanistan also received Emergency Funding for Clearance of Abandoned Improvised Mines. This project will be reported on separately. www.halotrust.org 3 Country Context Afghanistan has been in protracted conflict for almost forty years, which has a devastating effect on the country and its people. The conflict, fuelled by poor governance, corruption, weak rule of law and a struggling national economy hampers human development and depletes the country’s coping mechanisms. Armed conflict continues to destroy lives and livelihoods, causing 5,122 civilian casualties (1,692 deaths and 3,430 injured)1 in the first six months of 2018 alone, of which more than a third were women and children. The leading cause of these civilian casualties are improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Table illustrating the number of civilian deaths and injuries between 2009 and 2018, UNAMA. The fragile political, economic and security situation in the country led to Afghanistan becoming one of the world’s most complex humanitarian emergencies. According to UNOCHA, over one million people live in new and prolonged displacement, 3.3 million people are in need of lifesaving assistance, approximately 39 percent of the population live below the poverty line, an estimated 10 million people have limited or no access to essential health services, as many as 3.5 million children are out of school, and some 1.9 million people are severely food insecure2. Since 2001, international aid efforts led to considerable improvement, but chronic needs still persist. This humanitarian situation causes many Afghans to flee their homes in search of safety and economic opportunities. According to Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, there were 1,286,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Afghanistan at the end of 2017. In the first six months of 2018, 168,000 people were internally displaced due to conflict3. Additionally, Afghan refugees are increasingly being expatriated from Pakistan and Iran back to Afghanistan, after having lived there for decades. According to IOM, 800,124 people returned to Afghanistan in 20184. Returnees and families fleeing conflict are particularly 1 https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/unama_poc_midyear_update_2018_15_july_english.pdf 2https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/afg_2018_humanitar ian_needs_overview_5.pdf 3 http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/afghanistan 4 https://afghanistan.iom.int/sites/default/files/Reports/iom_afghanistan-return_of_undocumented_afghans- _situation_report_23_-_29_dec_2018_003.pdf 4 www.halotrust.org vulnerable to mines/ERW, as they often have no knowledge of where contaminated areas are found and may be forced into using dangerous land to generate livelihoods and address immediate water and food needs. Under this project, 1,016 IDPs and returnees benefitted directly from mine clearance activities and 2,903 benefited indirectly. Another factor contributing to a growing number of IDPs and refugees is the drought, which led to 81,000 new displacements between January and June in 2018. Since the majority of rural families in the country depend on agriculture, casual labour and raising livestock to sustain their livelihoods, the drought significantly impacts a large part of the population of Afghanistan. According to UNOCHA, the 2018 drought affected more than two-thirds of Afghans. It has reduced incomes by half, caused serious health issues and prompted negative coping mechanisms5, such as eating fewer meals, reducing portion sizes, and eating less preferred or cheaper food. Blocked access to agricultural land only exacerbates the problem and puts additional strain on already struggling rural families. 562 km2 of land in Afghanistan