Western Region Minutes of Humanitarian Regional Team (HRT) Meeting

Date: 28 September 2017 Time: 10 a.m. Venue: UNICEF-WHO-OCHA Common Conference Room, Hirat Chair: OCHA

Participants: Present: UNICEF, INSO, UNHCR, IOM, DACAAR, IRC, DRC, NRC, WVI, UNHABITAT, UNMAS, AHDAA, UNDP, FAO, UNFPA, WFP

Agenda and discussion points: 1. Access and security updates (INSO) 2. IDPs’ response in WR (OCHA) 3. Closure of health facilities in Badghis (OCHA) 4. Food Security update in Ghor and Badghis (WFP/FSAC) 5. Winterization update (UNHCR) 6. Common messaging for meeting with the Governor and submission of advocacy letter 7. AoB

Opening Remarks OCHA welcomed the participants opened the floor to the participants on the round introductions.

Access and security updates AOGs in Ghor negotiated on an illegal recruitment of other AOGs in Jawand (Badghis) which was failed. New developments also were reported in Ghalmin area (in the south of ). AOGs from southern region following collapse of Taywarah district in July 2017 gathered and negotiated with so called ISK and agreed to remove ISK and convert them as AOGs. The previous so called ISK in Chaghcharan recently joined IEA and reportedly no ISK in Ghor. Reports suggest that a military clearance operation is going to take place in Ghalmin and the city is not a target in the near time. NGOs staff were also abducted in the south of Chaghcharan, Kham Zahir area of Ghorqand during a survey. Released couple but took staff of local NGO to unknown areas. The rest of districts of Ghor was calm. In Farah, military operations conducted in Balabuluk, rocket attack to the Farah airport (IMF base). Reports show high number casualties of AOGs as a result of air strikes. Following IMF leaving from Farah, AOGs resumed their activities in the Farah city outskirts.

No security incidents in Badghis. However, OCHA received the information of closure of 25 health facilities in six districts of by NSAGs on 22 September. The mediation by elders and influential figures, resulted re-opening of the health facilities. In Hirat, gathering AOGs in Kushk-e-Kohna district. ANSF was supposed to conduct the military operations. The gathering AOGs can be translated as a sign of show up on the start of TAPI pipe line through Hirat province. Recently the Government of announced the official division of district into five districts. Local authorities confirm on the establishment of a Brigadier in Shindand. The impact of this division will be a positive step for Government after establishment of new ANSF bases in the districts.

IDPs response in WR (OCHA) OCHA updated the HRT members on the IDPs assessment and responses. During the month of August, we recorded selected IDPs of 549 families in Hirat, 145 families (excluding 1,330 families of Ghormach), 131 families in Farah, 188 families in Ghor. But, in September, we recorded 184 families in Hirat, 60 families in Badghis, 159 families in Farah and 172 families in Ghor. OCHA also had a mission to Maymana, Faryab to coordinate the assessment and responses of reported about 3,000 displaced families within Ghormach district as a result of collapse of the district in August. The initiative of conducting the assessment through ARCS worked out and two rounds of assessment resulted that 1,995 families have been assessed of which 1,330 families have been selected as IDPs deserving humanitarian assistance. The assessment report has been share with humanitarian agencies/organizations in the north for their potential responses. UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP are the potential responders of food and NFIs. UNICEF also logistically supported the ARCS team for conducting the assessment. Below graph shows the comparison of the IDPs in August vs September 2017. OCHA also shared the reported 1,800 families within Balamurghab district as a result of conflict between ANSF and NSAGs. Same initiatives of Faryab have been began and negotiations with all parties and stakeholders are ongoing to open a humanitarian space within the district so that the

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assessment is carried out and response is undertaken. The assessments are ongoing in Chaghcharan city, Hirat, Farah and Badghis provinces. All the selected IDPs are responded to. In addition to Humanitarian organizations, ANDMA Ghor from the Provincial Disaster Management Committee (PDMC) fund procured food and NFIs and distributed to the reported 200 families displaced within Ghalmin area of Chaghcharan, Ghor. Below table show the comparison of IDPs in August vs September 2017 in WR.

IDPs in August vs September 2017

600 549

500

400

300 184 188 172 159 200 145 131 60 100

0 Hirat Badghis Ghor Farah IDPs Selected in August 549 145 188 131 IDPs Selected in September 184 60 172 159 IDPs Selected in August IDPs Selected in September

Closure of health facilities in Badghis (OCHA) Since WHO could not attend, OCHA updated the HRT members on the closure of 25 health facilities in six districts of Badghis province. Acting director of DoPH, and BPHS implementer informed on the closure of health facilities and cut of health services to about 175,000 people in the province. Following the elders and influential figures negotiations and mediation, the health facilities resumed their activities after three days of suspensions. The reason behind the closure of health facilities is unknown at the moment. As a result of ongoing conflict in Ghalmin (Chaghcharan – Ghor), the national polio campaign could not reach about 3,000 children.

Food Security update in Ghor and Badghis (WFP/FSAC) WFP/FSAC updated the HRT members on the initial data came out of the Seasonal Food Security Assessment (SFSA) in western region. Below table shows the figures. The complete report will be shared in the beginning of October 2017.

Food Security Index (FSAC) 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Badghis Ghor Hirat Farah Severely FI 34.8 3.6 1.4 0 Moderately FI 62.6 42.2 17.8 9.9 Marginally FS 2.5 52.4 77.1 75.3 Food secure 0 1.8 3.7 14.8

Severely FI Moderately FI Marginally FS Food secure

The concern over Ghor due to geography as well as earlier coldness issues were shared with regional FSAC. As experiences show, in October, the weather become cold and roads start block. The concern

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over potential responses as well as child protection and other cross-cutting issues also raised in the meeting. The members encouraged the responders to prepare the response as soon as possible and respond to the affected families before displacements start. WFP informed that they have ongoing project assisting the protracted IDPs and families. AHDAA informed on a multi-sector assessment in Badghis. The assessment will carry out in four districts of Badghis on the different sector’s needs. OCHA requested AHDAA to coordinate with other related partners on the ground in order to prevent duplications of resources. OCHA also stated that the and ministries council at Kabul requested ANDMA – HQ and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock (MAIL) to develop a response plan to the affected provinces of Ghor and Badghis.

Winterization update (UNHCR) There is no emergency gap in the ES/NFIs. On winterization, the national level decided that all the winterization assistance should be channeled by ES/NFI cluster. In western region, 3,637 families (2,037 for Hirat, 700 for Ghor and 900 for Hirat provinces) including IDPs, People with Specific Needs (PSN) and returnees have been allocated to receive winter assistance by UNHCR at the national level and the number may change as a result of regional advocacy to include Hirat and Farah provinces. UNICEF also informed that this year, 4,500 NFI kits have been allocated for winter assistance and ES/NFIs to consolidate the potential winter responders and sharing with national level for further decision making. Emergency responders stated that the emergency cases can be responded as a fresh caseload under the emergency projects but there is no any extra assistance secured to the winterization assistance.

Common messaging for meeting with the Governor and submission of advocacy letter In relation to the high level advocacy for the IDPs of the Police Rah and Naw Abad and recent threats of the forced eviction of Karizak IDP informal settlement Co-Lead of Protection Cluster provided background information on the basic and protection needs of the IDPs after many field visits, individual discussion and Focused Groups Discussion (FGD) with the IDPs along with OCHA Western Region.

The Co-lead of protection cluster stated that IDPs in Police Rah and Nawabad are under the threat of forced eviction. This action violates the human rights as well as National IDP Policy of Afghanistan. We request the Hirat local authorities not to evict the IDPs until a proper relocation prgramme is developed under the Provincial Action Plan (PAP). An advocacy letter has been drafted and endorsed by Afghanistan Protection Cluster (APC) in Kabul to be submitted to the Provencal Governor (PG) of Hirat on this issue. He discussed on the importance of the Protection Monitoring and its methodologies to identify needs, vulnerability and challenges faced by the IDPs and key principles of monitoring such as being independent and neutral as part of humanitarian principles with respect to “DO NO HARM” concept while doing community level monitoring and individual level monitoring and informed of several training planned on protection in humanitarian action in the region. So, OCHA WR was requested to liaise with the PG for getting an appointment and submit the letter and raise the IDPs voice. A humanitarian team will be meeting the PG and request him to inform all the authorities and people not to disturb the IDPs.

Action points  Regional FSAC to share the final report of SFSA with HRT;  Regional FSAC to liaise with DAIL and ANDMA at the provinces of Ghor and Badghis for their readiness and developing response plan;  Health cluster (WHO) to share the findings of closure of health facilities with HRT;  ES/NFIs to share the latest update or projected targeted families in Western Region with HRT;  UNICEF to share winter plan with ES/NFI cluster coordinator  The humanitarian agencies to meet the PG on the forced eviction of Police Rah and Nawabad IDPs; AOB NRC has been conducting a research in Hirat on the IDPs’ protection challenges. The researcher met humanitarian organizations and individuals during the visit in Hirat.

IOM informed that the border is now open and returnees and deportees and un documents Afghans are being coming through. UNICEF also stated that the NGOs who are working at the zero point of the border shared the good cooperation of the new commissioner following OCHA – IOM – DoRR mission to the border and orientation.

OCHA updated the members on the second standard allocation. The Afghanistan CHF disbursed US$25 million under the 2017 2nd Standard Allocation as per the following envelopes: Health US$ 7 million,

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Nutrition US$ 5 million, Protection US$ 5 million, WASH US$ 4 million, FSAC US$ 2 million and enabling US$ 2 million.

Next meeting, 30 October 2017 at 1000hrs

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