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2016 COMMON HUMANITARIAN FUND Second Standard Allocation Strategy 2016 ------

The Allocation Strategy The Afghanistan Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) was established in January 2014 under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC). The objective of the CHF is to promote needs based assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles, to respond to the most urgent needs, and strengthen coordination and leadership of the HC.

The CHF enables a strategic response to address gaps in delivering priority actions in the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). The priorities identified for funding under the envelopes of this Allocation Strategy have been identified following an inter cluster led Mid-Year Review of the HRP. The review exercise assessed progress in the first six months of the year compared to targets and priorities set by each sector; identified contextual changes impacting humanitarian needs; and considered newly available data pointing to additional or exacerbated humanitarian needs that have emerged or developed over the past six months.

This comprehensive joint analysis informed a prioritization exercise through which the most urgent humanitarian needs and response gaps were determined. The criteria for prioritisation took into account where most lives could be saved; geographical areas most severely affected; which activities are time critical or critically enabling and which activities maximise cost efficiencies and value for money. This strategy paper therefore reflects a robust analysis of where and how to allocate critical resources where they are most needed over the coming months.

The total amount of funding available for this allocation is c. $23 million. The funding will be allocated to address the following priorities:

1. Provide critical treatment for children under five and pregnant and lactating women with acute malnutrition - particularly targeted to underserved conflict IDPs and refugees; 2. Ensure emergency first aid and trauma capability to treat an increasing number of conflict casualties; 3. Address urgent protection concerns, basic service and assistance gaps, and reduce ERW casualties among people recently displaced by conflict; 4. Identify and address neglected shelter gaps and food insecurity threats among families who lost their homes and livelihoods in past natural disaster events and remain extremely vulnerable; 5. Strengthen humanitarian coordination and enhance the quality of data gathering and needs analysis to inform future response programme design at a strategic level; 6. Maintenance of an Emergency Reserve of $5 million, to enable flexible response to new, unforeseen humanitarian emergencies. To be activated by the HC as and when need arises.

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

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Allocation envelopes Envelope One: Emergency support to address a worsening malnutrition crisis Acute Malnutrition remains a widespread problem in 2016 HRP SO4: Treatment and Afghanistan. Since the publication of the 2013 National prevention of acute malnutrition Nutrition Survey (NNS) the scale of the malnutrition crisis in has received increased attention however evidence from Bridge critical gaps in Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) treatment of acute malnutrition 2016 province level SMART surveys indicate that the and prevent further deterioration of nutritional nutrition situation remains serious and in some cases is status. deteriorating. The recalculation of caseloads based on 2016 Relevant Cluster Objectives: SMART assessments in , Panjsher, Badghis and Herat Nutrition Objective 1: The incidence of Acute indicate an increased burden from 238,529 to 369,680 acute Malnutrition is reduced through Integrated malnourished children (an additional 131,000) in these four Management of Acute Malnutrition among boys, provinces alone. girls, pregnant and lactating women. Nutrition Objective 2: Enhance the prevention of Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a life threatening Acute Malnutrition through promotion of Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and micronutrient condition requiring urgent treatment. The median under-five supplementation. case-fatality rate for severe acute malnutrition typically Nutrition Objective 3: Quality community and ranges from 30% to 50%. Integrated Management of Acute facility based nutrition information is made available for programme monitoring and timely Malnutrition (IMAM) programmes which can substantially response. reduce the fatality rate have low coverage and frequent high WASH Cluster Objective 1: Ensure timely access to defaulting in Afghanistan. Outpatient SAM interventions are a sufficient quantity of safe drinking water, use of only reaching an estimated 38% of those that need adequate and gender sensitive sanitation facilities and appropriate hygiene practices. treatment. Across the board critical barriers remain with regards to ensuring children with unmet needs have access Allocation: $8.0 million to treatment of acute malnutrition. There are many contributing factors but key amongst these is the limited access to community level delivery of services, especially nutrition education, counselling, and treatment follow-up, and overall weak capacity at all levels of health care.

Four coverage assessments carried out so far in 2016 (Laghman, Wardak, Ghazni and Herat) all indicated coverage well below recommended sphere standards in terms of the proportion of SAM children accessing treatment. These findings align with 16 other coverage assessments conducted in 2015. The lack of complimentary Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) services in has been identified as one of the main barriers to the treatment of malnutrition and a significant contributing factor to high numbers of SAM cases in the province as children receive no care in the early stages of malnutrition - only when they deteriorate to a severe state.

Those children that deteriorate to the most severe and complicated state of malnutrition require referral to in patient Therapeutic Feeding Units (TFU). Lack of access to, and poor condition of existing TFU facilities

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

P a g e | 3 however is a major challenge. TFUs in District Hospitals, particularly in the cluster targeted provinces urgently need to be assessed and rehabilitated to include adequate facilities for preparation of therapeutic foods, improve the water, sanitation and hygiene conditions of the sites, and ensure adequate provision of F-75/F-100 milk preparation kits.

Conflict and insecurity compound the problems of poor service coverage. The spread of the conflict has not only interrupted and limited access to health facilities but caused massive displacement of families who experience prolonged periods of uncertainty and substandard living often in circumstances which exacerbate the risks for their children becoming undernourished. A Rapid Nutrition Assessment (RNA) undertake in the Informal Settlements (KIS) where more than 45,000 IDPS are estimated to live (20% children) found combined GAM and SAM prevalence of 21.9% and 5.9% respectively indicating an urgent need to ensure access to treatment programmes for over 2,000 children.

Similar circumstances of deprived living conditions and limited coverage of health and nutrition services, has likely contributed to an increase in malnutrition detected among refugee children in the Gulan camp in province. The RNA conducted there in May indicates emergency levels of acute malnutrition (wasting) with GAM and SAM prevalence of 17.3% and 4.6 % respectively and a significant deterioration in stunting (indication of chronic malnutrition) since last year, increasing from 37% to almost 50%.

The surveys have further revealed significantly poor nutritional status of both pregnant and lactating women however the cluster receives extremely inadequate funding to provide critical nutrition support for this target group – essential to tackle the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. In Afghanistan, this cycle is accentuated by high rates of pregnancy among adolescent girls who themselves often suffer stunted growth due to poor nutrition. As such they are therefore highly likely to have low-birth-weight babies, significantly contributing to infant mortality and severe short- and long-term adverse health consequences and markedly increasing the chance of childhood malnutrition and irreversible cumulative growth and development deficits.

A major constraint in addressing malnutrition is the availability of recent assessment data to help target the most critical needs. Since 2013 the cluster has gradually been updating the findings of the NNS. During the 1st half of 2016 the nutrition Cluster through ACF and partners have managed to assess and provide updated evidence for 7 provinces and through additional CHF funding in the first 2016 will continue to assess another 8 priority provinces through multi-sectorial assessments using integrated SMART surveys. In the 2nd half of 2016 the nutrition Cluster would prioritize assessment of nutrition access and coverage of IMAM services in the remaining priority provinces as well as identifying other provinces that might be requiring nutrition emergency response. The Cluster considers this an integral step in being able to utilize up to date information to be in a position to make informed decision on the needs and priorities for the 2017 humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) as well as Humanitarian response Plan (HRP).

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

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As a result of increased conflict in the 1st half of 2016 there has been a significant increase in internally displaced populations in various parts of the country (most affected are Helmand, Herat, Nangarhar, Kunduz and Kabul). These populations are most vulnerable to malnutrition based on poor hygiene practices, lack of sanitation facilities, and loss of livelihoods as evidence in the Rapid Nutrition Assessment conducted in Kabul informal settlements. In the 2nd half of 2016 The Nutrition Cluster will prioritize the collection of evidence specific to IDP populations through conducting Rapid SMARTs to better understand the needs of these populations with regards to their nutrition status. Envelope One Eligible Actions:  SAM treatment to all under 5 children supported as per the national protocols in Khost/Ghulan refugee camp.  Expansion of nutrition support and services to health facilities serving the affected population in provinces with IDP/informal settlement – Herat and Kabul;  Scale up MAM treatment of children under the age of five and PLW in Herat and Khost;  Continued support for assessment of nutrition status, access and coverage to generate evidence;  Assessment and Rehabilitation of TFUs within the targeted provinces, including provision of milk preparation kits in 37 TFUs centers in targeted provinces.  WASH activities would be eligible as part of an integrated approach to addressing malnutrition but must be strictly linked to nutrition outcomes. No standalone WASH interventions would be considered.

All proposed actions must be discussed with the Nutrition Cluster prior to submission of proposals. Please refer to page 15 for information regarding mandatory cluster consultation processes.

Envelope Two: Emergency trauma care for conflict casualties The UNAMA protection of civilians in armed conflict midterm 2016 HRP SO2: Response to conflict report documented 5,166 civilians killed or injured in the first displaced, refugees and vulnerable six months of the year. This represents a four per cent returnees increase in total civilian casualties over the same period in Respond to the needs of civilians affected by armed 2015 and a record number since counting began in 2009. conflict, including IDPs, refugees and returnees, through targeted assistance to address critical basic Given the strict reporting and verification methodology needs and vulnerable groups. employed by UNAMA these figures are almost certainly Relevant Cluster Objectives: underestimates. They also speak only to the casualties Health Cluster Objective 1: Provision of effective identified as having strictly civilian status. In accordance with trauma care and mass casualty management to the provisions laid down in the Geneva Conventions, conflict affected people. Afghanistan’s limited health facilities treat all the wounded Allocation: $4.0 million and sick, both civilian and military without distinction.

Between January and August 19,755 ANDSF and NSAG casualties were reported killed and wounded, a number of which would also present at medical facilities for emergency treatment.

Health cluster partners have reported consistent increases in incidents of weapon and conflict-related trauma cases treated in existing first aid trauma posts (FATP), with a 20 per cent increase reported in war trauma patients in the first six months of 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015 (32,395 versus 25,885

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

P a g e | 5 respectively). The incidence of these casualties is also much more spread around the country with high numbers of war casualties reported in Hilmand, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Kabul, Kapisa and Kunar. Ensuring countrywide timely provision of lifesaving trauma care and mass casualty management to conflict affected people therefore remains a top priority for the humanitarian response in the second half of 2016, particularly as the health cluster has received only 44 per cent of its annual financial requirement as of August.

The constant increase in trauma cases places significant pressure on the capacity of existing trauma care services. Patients in more remote and insecure areas are also forced to travel long distances through insecure areas to the nearest adequate facility. FATPs have proven to be an effective means of providing trauma care at the community level, and remain a critical component in providing life-saving care to civilian casualties as a first line response.

The cluster has identified 115 high risk, conflict-affected districts in need of FATPs in 2016. To date, 57 districts have 70 functional FATPs. However as conflict incidents increasingly broaden in scope and severity, the current coverage is inadequate to cope with the increasing number of trauma incidents in these and neighboring districts. The 2016 CHF first standard allocation has provided funding for the establishment of FATPs in an additional 34 districts in Ghor, Hilmand, , Kapisa, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika and Uruzgan. A further 24 high priority conflict affected districts in Badakhshan, Badghis, , Faryab, Ghazni, Kandahar, Kapisa, Kunduz, Logar, Nangarhar and Wardak remain in need.

Although FATPs are able to manage immediate trauma response and treatment, severe or complicated cases are referred to district or provincial centres as needed. A lack of adequate specialized facilities in high conflict priority provinces results in increased morbidity and mortality rates as patients cannot seek advanced care. Strengthening the trauma care and mass casualty management capacity of referral hospitals is a priority to expand coverage of specialized services, including training, emergency triage and ward space, and supply chain with critical essential medicine and emergency equipment/kits. The cluster has identified the following six priority provincial hospitals which require upgrading or establishment of trauma capacity, provision of equipment and supplies, and adequately trained medical personnel: Badghis, Ghazni, Ghor, Nuristan, Sar- e-Pul and Uruzgan.

The increase in trauma cases received by the existing facilities has exhausted emergency supplies which require regular replenishment. The cluster’s current emergency medical stock levels indicate trauma kits and Inter Agency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs) are needed at both the field and the national level to ensure preparedness and prepositioning for major outbreaks and mass casualty/trauma response. Envelope Two Eligible Actions: • Establish first aid trauma posts (FATP) in white areas affected by conflict ensuring access of men, women and children to specialized trauma care and/or referral to nearest facility; • Establish/upgrade and equip trauma care units in provincial hospitals (TCU); • Provision and distribution of emergency trauma care kits and IEHK supplementary kits.

All proposed actions must be discussed with the Health Cluster prior to submission of proposals. Please refer to page 15 for information regarding mandatory cluster consultation processes.

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

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Envelope Three: Address urgent assistance gaps and reduce ERW casualties among conflict displaced

The security situation across Afghanistan has continued to 2016 HRP SO2: Response to conflict deteriorate in 2016, with the total figure of conflict displaced displaced, refugees and vulnerable reaching almost 200,000 in early August primarily returnees concentrated in the North-Eastern (Kunduz and Baghlan) and Respond to the needs of civilians affected by armed Southern (Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar) regions. Should conflict, including IDPs, refugees and returnees, through targeted assistance to address critical basic the previous years’ trend of increased displacement between needs and vulnerable groups. August and December be replicated in 2016, the number of Relevant Cluster Objectives: new IDPs generated by conflict will easily surpass the Protection Objective 2: Respond to acute and 250,000 projected caseload estimated at the beginning of the evolving protection needs, and restore the dignity year and possibly the 2015 recorded all-time high of over of conflict and natural disaster-affected populations, especially of the particularly 335,000 people. vulnerable, including the displaced. The increase in people displaced reinforces the need for fast Protection Objective 3: Create a protection- and flexible emergency response capacity to be in place conducive environment to prevent and respond to across the country – a focus of the 1st CHF allocation – and forms of physical harm, violence, abuse, exploitation, affecting women, men, girls and boys. while humanitarian actors have so far been quick to respond to food security and NFI needs, including through the FSAC Objective 1: Save lives and restore the livelihoods of conflict induced IDPs, refugees and provision of cash, limited support has been provided to returnees. identify address specific protection risks or ensure adequate water and sanitation access particularly where facilities and Health Cluster Objective 2: Ensure access of displaced populations, refugees, returnees and resources are shared with hosting communities. people residing in white conflict areas to emergency health services. WASH WASH Cluster Objective 1: Ensure timely access to Midyear reporting by the WASH cluster indicated that of more a sufficient quantity of safe drinking water, use of than 800,000 people assessed as requiring water through adequate and gender sensitive sanitation facilities and appropriate hygiene practices. cluster partner surveys since January 2016 only 2 percent were recently displaced (in the last six months). This Allocation: $5.5 million suggests that the most vulnerable groups are not being appropriately identified and targeted for assistance. At the same time, specific WASH-related health and protection risks, such as the spread of water-borne diseases and threat to security and loss of dignity due to the necessity of open defecation, have also arisen and are yet to be adequately addressed. Emergency water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services must be an integral component of first line response to displaced people to ensure timely access to a sufficient quantity of safe drinking water, use of adequate and gender sensitive sanitation facilities and appropriate hygiene practices.

With the launch of the Household Emergency Assessment Tool (HEAT) in June 2016 greater consideration will be given to WASH needs as part of a standardised emergency assessment. Responding adequately to these identified needs will be dependent upon resourcing and mobilising the more traditional static WASH partners to adapt to deliver more agile and reactive immediate response. The cluster maintains a stock of

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

P a g e | 7 emergency kits and supply systems in Kabul and across priority regions to enable rapid response to newly displaced people. Stock replenishments for emergency supply systems are needed principally to enable rapid response to acute needs of displaced populations in Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Faryab, Hilmand, Kandahar, Kunar, Kunduz, Takhar and Uruzgan. Required stocks include family hygiene kits, water kits, water purification tablets, bladder tanks, and sanitation slabs and tents. The first line emergency WASH response includes provision of a hygiene and water kit to last a family one month. Water trucking responds to immediate water needs where local water sources are overstretched or inadequate, while rehabilitation of existing facilities may be facilitated in cases where IDPs settle in host communities or informal settlements.

Protection

Protection monitoring and consultations with affected populations have highlighted high levels of vulnerability amongst internally displaced populations. The shock of displacement frequently leads to severe distress which has a long lasting impact on the lives of affected persons and families if mishandled or unaddressed. In situations of displacement, access to services and formal protection systems is often limited due to increased pressure on existing facilities and institutions, discrimination, and/or a lack of civil documentation. The loss of regular livelihood opportunities and of community support networks increases socio-economic hardship. Hosting arrangements often entail accommodation in overcrowding and substandard living conditions, negatively affecting privacy and well-being and increases – in the longer run – the risk of households resorting to negative coping strategies which lead to concerns regarding exposure to exploitation, abuse, and neglect of children, as well as an increased prevalence of GBV – including domestic violence and forced/early marriage.

The tendency of cluster partners to concentrate activities in the larger urban agglomerations – mainly due to the high concentration, and easier access to populations in need, and historically established programme structures –, has led to concerns related to protection gaps in the response to emerging acute and urgent needs as a consequence of increased displacement in less served areas hosting internally displaced. The conditionality attached to CHF grants that directs funding to specific locations and activities targeting the most at risk with the most severe and unaddressed needs, has served to support the cluster in reinforcing a more responsive and agile approach, allowing for the targeting of vulnerable individuals in underserved (displaced) communities in need. The allocation foresees funding that would facilitate a more comprehensive, outreach, and responsive approach to ensure that protection concerns and violations are more holistically addressed, especially during the initial phases of displacement into areas underserved by protection actors. Based on the gap analysis conducted by the cluster, the focus of proposed interventions will lie on outreach CPiE and GBV oriented activities. These activities comprise mobile community-based psychosocial support initiatives targeting children and parents having experienced high levels of distress and mobile clinics, which will provide medical, legal and psychosocial counselling to (S)GBV survivors and children surviving injuries, abuse, and use when associated with armed groups and armed forces, while interlinking with existing humanitarian and government protection systems through principled referrals.

According to UNAMA, alongside ground engagements, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and explosive remnants of war (ERW) continue to be leading causes of civilian casualties – the latter disproportionately

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

P a g e | 8 impacting children, who comprised 85 per cent of the casualties caused by ERW in the first half of the year. Despite the considerable 49% increase in ERW related casualties in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 community-based outreach mine risk education (MRE) activities have received less than 30 percent of funding requirements, resulting in only 17% (169,709) of the targeted population (ca. 1,015,000) being reached. With the continued trend towards large-scale and prolonged armed clashes within populated areas including district administrative centres, involving the increased use of artillery, mortars and aerial bombardments, the risk of further ERW contamination in civilian inhabited areas remains substantial, as do the associated risks to the physical safety of returning displaced populations, especially children who end up killed or maimed while playing with such objects.

Of particular concern, are more than 60,000 IDPs in Baghlan (Pul-I-Khumri), Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan provinces as well as an additional 62,000 people considered at risk due to their proximity to locations of recent heavy fighting and ensuing new ERW contaminations —Baghlan and Kunduz alone have experienced a total of 339 armed clashes since January. Given the continued spread and intensification of the conflict in these areas, the capacity of the two Mine Clearing Planning Agency (MCPA) crossed trained teams in Qala-i-Zal, Khanabad, Imam Sahib districts and the centre of Kunduz is now severely overstretched and cannot cover all of populations requiring Mine Risk Education. CHF funding which would enable protection partners to expand their programmes for outreach community-based mine risk education, mobile surveyance and demarcation of ERW, as well as conduct spot-ERW clearance (EOD) is therefore a top priority for these locations.

Food Security and Agriculture

Conflict and natural disaster affected IDPs, refugees, returnees and severely food insecure people have been prioritized for food and agriculture assistance in 2016. As of midyear, response to newly conflict and natural disaster affected people remains significantly underfunded, underachieved and a critical gap in the cluster’s response plan. In over 90% of cases, both vulnerable groups received only a one month food package while the cluster has confirmed reports of extended impact on their food source and income; the 2016 Seasonal Food Security Assessment (SFSA) recorded 64% of households reporting decreased income by 17%, and just over half of the total population having faced one or more shocks affecting household food security. Partners have been unable to provide essential agriculture protection support to conflict IDPs due to lack of funding for this cluster priority, particularly in Badakhshan, Badghis, Faryab, Hilmand, Kandahar, Kunar, Kunduz and Uruzgan.

The SFSA highlighted the significant impact such shocks are having particularly on the already vulnerable landless, smallholder and subsistence farmers who grow staple crops with poor quality seeds and fertilizer. Such crops are typically sufficient to feed a family for 4-7 months until the next cropping season, however crop and income loss will now result in farmers’ inability to feed their families, make a modest profit from sales, or replant for the next cropping season thus creating a cycle of food insecurity and new dependency on food assistance. With crop assets depleted and an inability to recover, displaced families have little incentive or means to return to their place of origin. They are likely to enter prolonged periods of displacement, migrate towards urban areas and resort to negative coping strategies.

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

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Basic agricultural inputs and livelihood support for IDPs who have the opportunity to return to areas where they have land to cultivate will support recovery of the next cropping season from September to November and prevent household hunger.

Refugee populations (Health and WASH)

The refugee populations in Khost and Paktika continue to require essential humanitarian support two years on from their initial displacement. Intermittent but ongoing military operations in North Waziristan Agency and uncertainty about the circumstances under which they might return indicates the need for a sustained response. A combination of resourcing constraintsi, the remote areas in which some refugees have settled and the influx of new arrivals has led to a number of critical gaps in meeting humanitarian needs - further pronounced by the inadequacy of an almost exclusively short-term and project-base d approach to addressing what has become a chronic situation.

Primary healthcare services supported over the last two years for refugees in Khost and Paktika provinces, are no longer funded as of December 2015 in Paktika and as of May 2016 in Khost; these services were reaching over 14,000 and 90,000 refugees respectively. In , refugees are scattered in the remote villages of Alisher, Spera and Tani districts. Existing health services are very limited with only two facilities for the host community in addition to an estimated 10,000 refugees in the area. Previously supported mobile services have proven most effective to reach refugees in scattered and remote locations, in addition to having some of the only female health workers to reach female refugees.

In , an estimated 14,350 refugees are without access to primary healthcare services since December 2015. Currently, only two healthcare facilities cover three villages in which 97% of refugees reside in Bermal, while there is only one 20-bed hospital covering four villages in district. In both locations healthcare facilities were only intended to provide services to the local community and do not have the capacity to serve the additional needs of the refugees.

Poor water, sanitation and hygiene practices are observed in areas hosting refugeesii. Such environmental conditions have serious health and nutrition implications and have likely contributed to the marked increase in chronic malnutrition documented in Gulan camp. Critical WASH gaps have been documented by partners especially in Tani (Khost), Bermal and Urgun (Paktika) districts, with 90% resorting to pit latrines or open defecation, very low rates of handwashing, and over 80% not having safe water sources.

In of Khost, refugees have settled in isolated areas with many based far away from host communities. They have insufficient water as collected from distant and unprotected water sources and are also lacking access to latrines. In Gurboz district, poor hygiene practices, lack of access to latrines and unsafe water sources and storage have been documented both in the camp and increasingly so in peripheral areas where families have begun to spread out. In Bermal and Urgun districts of Paktika, continued WASH

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

P a g e | 10 interventions are needed in the same sites proposed for health activities in order to support health interventions and address a lack of services outside settlements where refugees are residing. Envelope Three Eligible Actions:  Mobile outreach protection services to women, men, girls and boys; principled referrals and psychosocial support to conflict affected people;  Temporary learning spaces/education in emergencies for conflict displaced children;  Provision of protection services (including health, psychosocial, legal and safety) to GBV survivors and children abused or exploited by armed groups and armed forces;  Mine risk education and mobile, prioritised and responsive surveyance and demarcation of ERW in conflict impacted communities and spot-ERW clearance;  Protective rations/cash assistance to agriculture dependent conflict affected families;  Agriculture recovery/protection activities for particularly vulnerable families affected by conflict-related shocks;  Emergency primary health services (both static and mobile clinics) for refugees in Khost (Tani, Matun, Alisher and Spera districts) and Paktika (Bermal and Urgun districts);  Provision of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene services to refugees; All proposedReplenishment actions of must critical be gaps discussed in emergency with the WASH relevant stocks. Cluster s prior to submission of proposals. Please refer to page 15 for information regarding mandatory cluster consultation processes.

Envelope Four: Essential humanitarian support to address residual needs of the most vulnerable natural disaster affected

Since January 2014 more than 500,000 people across Afghanistan have been affected by natural disasters and 2016 HRP SO3: Acute health and almost 69,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Flooding and natural disaster emergencies earthquake victims comprise 92% of all those affected, with Respond to acute health emergencies and natural disaster affected populations where assessments the vast majority of these (63%) the result of two major indicate humanitarian assistance is a critical incidents: the devastating floods of April to June 2014 and determination for survival. the 5.9 magnitude earthquake of October 2015, which Relevant Cluster Objectives: combined impacted almost 295,000 people. ESNFI Objective 2: Persons displaced and/or These recurrent small and medium scale events – including affected by natural disaster have adequate protection from the weather and privacy for family the localised floods which struck the central and north life. eastern regions in April and May 2016 – highlight the continued need for preparedness, prepositioned resources FSAC Objective 1: Save lives and restore the livelihoods of conflict induced IDPs, refugees and and predictable financing to support a nimble response. Of returnees. equal importance is robust and comprehensive follow-up to FSAC Objective 2: Save lives and restore the ensure the immediate assistance provided after a shock has livelihoods of Natural Disaster affected people. adequately addressed people’s needs and that they have been able to recover sufficiently to a point that there is no Allocation: $4.0 million residual threat to a safe and viable existence.

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

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Afghanistan is a country with a long history of natural disasters and communities have developed their own inherent coping mechanisms. A large majority of families hit by flooding experience the same crisis year after year and they find ways of rebuilding their lives each time. For others, years of recurrent crisis, in some cases coupled with the loss of breadwinners, assets or displacement due to the coinciding conflict renders them exceptionally vulnerable with no means to reestablish the meagre existence they sustained prior to the shock and for whom temporary food, cash or NFI assistance will quickly be depleted. The shelter cluster estimates that somewhere between ten to forty per cent of all affected families will have such depleted coping capacities or specific vulnerabilities that they would need additional post emergency support to ensure they can rebuild their homes or recover critical livelihood assets.

Emergency Shelter

With limited prospect of financial support to provide a response, fewiii follow-up assessments have taken place to identify those most vulnerable in need of support. As a result, many more unassessed families are estimated to be living in damaged and potentially dangerous shelters. Identifying these families and providing support for reconstruction and/or cash for fuel or winter NFIs to ensure protection from the elements is therefore urgently required to tie these households over during the winter months. To ensure cost effective and efficient use of funds the CHF will look to support projects that work to provide sustainable solutions and limit future risk to predictable disaster hazards such as flood safe site selection and seismic mitigation measures therefore reducing the requirement for further short term interventions of emergency assistance in the future.

Food Security and Agriculture

In addition to destroying family shelters, many livelihoods have been lost through recent flooding and pest attacks which have significantly impacted land quality and damaged crops for some of the most vulnerable agriculture dependent families in the country. Localized spring flooding damaged land and displaced people across the North, Northeast, Central, South and Southeast regions. Serious land and crop damage has been reported by assessment teams in many areas, such as nearly 1,000 jeribs of flood-damaged land in Bamyan and over 2,374 jeribs in Hilmand province. A dry spell also hit during the cultivation period in some hard to reach areas, particularly in the North. The cluster has reported serious gaps in provision of livelihood support to natural disaster affected people in Badakhshan, Balkh, Bamyan, Ghor, Jawzjan, Kabul, Kunar, Samangan, Takhar and Uruzgan. A significant locust infestation in broke out in June 2016, with up to 70 per cent of crops reportedly having been destroyed in Dawlatyar district, and to a lesser extent in district. A July assessment report noted almost 7,000 families affected by the infestation in Dawlatyar. As the most food insecure province in the country, some of the most vulnerable agriculture dependent families are further threatened with serious food insecurity and lack sufficient seed stocks or capital to replant for the next season. Preexisting vulnerability, lack of assets and coping mechanisms means the landless and smallholder farmers have been impacted the most by such natural disasters; such sudden shocks have prevented cultivation and seriously compounded household food insecurity. Targeted timely agriculture inputs including quality certified seed and fertilizers where feasible, and/or protective rations or cash assistance to agriculture dependent families will help to recover the next planting season

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/

P a g e | 12 from September to November, prevent a slide in acute food insecurity and avoid new dependence on food assistance.

Envelope Four Eligible Actions:

• Conduct assessment to determine the current shelter needs of earthquake-affected households; Provide a vulnerability profile of earthquake-affected households; Provide insight into coping mechanisms deployed by earthquake-affected households;

 Provision of shelter support (both reconstruction materials and/or cash for shelter) to earthquake and flood-affected households living in completely destroyed homes; being hosted by the community and / or who are unable to rebuild shelter on their own;  Provision of supplementary cash for winter/fuel support to earthquake-affected populations residing at high altitude and being hosted by relatives/friends/community or renting.  Protective rations/cash assistance to agriculture dependent families  Agriculture recovery/protection activities for particularly vulnerable families affected by natural disaster-related shocks

All proposed actions must be discussed with the ESNFI and FSAC Clusters prior to submission of proposals. Please refer to page 15 for information regarding mandatory cluster consultation processes.

Envelope Five: Strengthen Coordination and Needs Assessment

The Afghanistan CHF exists to support the overall 2016 HRP SO5: Context analysis and response capacity of the humanitarian coordinated needs assessment community, with cluster leads bearing the Improve the quality of data gathering, use of contextual analysis primary responsibility for strengthening system- and coordinated needs assessment based on agreed tools, to wide preparedness and coordinating technical inform humanitarian action and to expand humanitarian access. capacity to respond to the needs within their Relevant Cluster Objectives: respective sector. In recent years, and as ES & NFI Objective 3: Responses by ESNFI cluster members are documented by the 2015 Architecture Review, informed by accurate assessments to allow contextual analysis and appropriately targeted interventions. resourcing across clusters has varied substantially with disruptive high turnover of Food Security Objective 4: Strengthen emergency preparedness and response capabilities of FSAC partners. coordinators affecting some more negatively than Nutrition Objective 3: Quality community and facility based othersiv. While NGO cluster members have sought nutrition information is made available for programme to address these gaps and at times assumed monitoring and timely response. temporary leadership of the cluster, the project Protection Objective 1: Strengthen the protection environment based funding of most NGO staff has made it through monitoring of violations, evidence-based advocacy, targeted engagement with duty bearers, and coordinated and difficult for them to commit sufficient time and timely protection assessments. capacity through dedicated staffing for WASH Objective 2: Ensure timely and adequate assessment of the coordination functions. WASH needs of targeted populations in need. Allocation: $1.5 million

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Resourcing Cluster Co-leads

As part of OCHA’s ongoing efforts to enhance coordination capacity in-country and increase and reinvigorate NGO participation in clusters, funds from the 2nd CHF allocation will be made available for the financing of NGO cluster co-leads. Research of countries in which NGOs have served as co-leads, including Afghanistan, DRC and Ethiopia, point to improved cluster performance both in terms of form and substance due to more responsive management and lesson learning and increased and improved quality of NGO participation as cluster strategic priorities and structures are perceived to be better suited to NGO needs and capacities.

As considerable donor funding is already allocated to UN led cluster functions applicants should clearly demonstrate the specific gaps and functions that will be met by the cluster co-lead. A TOR and specification criteria for candidate selection should be submitted with the proposal to indicate that an acceptable level of skill and experience will be a requirement for appointment. To ensure a minimum level of continuity funding will be made available to support contracts 12 months only.

Cluster Led Needs Assessment

The previous three CHF Standard Allocations have provided funding to support the collection of multi-sector data that can inform future humanitarian programme design at a strategic level and improve our understanding of critical humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities. While progress is now being made on these fronts, with four CHF projects currently ongoing which seek to enhance information availability and quality both within certain areas (such as hard-to-access) and among particular groups (such as prolonged conflict- induced IDPs), significant data gaps remain, particularly regarding the collection of sector-specific information to enhance prioritization of humanitarian programming.

Currently, only one cluster - FSAC - undertakes non-localised assessments on a regular and consistent basis—through the Seasonal Food Security Assessment (SFSA), pre and post-harvest assessment and Integrated Phase Classification. In recent years, a lack of data around key indicators has compromised the prioritisation process and critically undermined the HCT’s capacity to use credible evidence as the basis for strategic decision-making.

In the absence of sufficient current humanitarian assessment data the 2016 HRP development was guided through a boundary setting exercise in which the conflict context, natural disaster exposure and the assumingly unresolved significant burden of malnutrition (identified in 2013) were identified as key drivers of need. The relative severity mapping of ‘need’ was then determined by the concentration of IDPs, refugees, malnourished, severely food insecure and people with limited access to health services etc.

The 2016 response plan was therefore guided by perceived priorities to respond predominantly to people affected by the conflict, their refugee, or IDP status rather than clearly identified and articulated indicators of needs. This limited focus, and lack of data on excess morbidity and mortality can distort the HNO – the basis for the Humanitarian Response Plan – leading to a situation in which areas with lower priority needs but better quality information are ranked higher than those with higher priority needs but poorer or no data.

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With clusters reporting that partner capacity and resources are the two biggest constraints to carrying out national level cluster/sector assessment activities, CHF funding will be made available to support cluster led initiatives that result in more comprehensive, robust analysis of humanitarian needs across the country to enable allocation of critical resources where they are most needed.

Envelope Five Eligible Actions:  Strengthen effective management and ensure functioning to the highest standards of sectoral coordination fora through twelve month technical and administrative support;  Address sector-specific humanitarian data deficits to improve 2017 humanitarian needs analysis and response planning prioritization.

All proposed actions must be discussed with the relevant Clusters prior to submission of proposals. Please refer to page 15 for information regarding mandatory cluster consultation processes.

Emergency Reserve The strategy foresees the maintenance of an Emergency Reserve of $5 million, to enable flexible response to new, unforeseen humanitarian emergencies to be activated by the HC as and when the need arises.

Almost 169,000 individuals (24,926 families) are reported to have been displaced during the first six months of 2016 – roughly 25,000 more than in the same period in 2015. Should the previous years’ trend of increased displacement between July and December be replicated in 2016, the number of new IDPs generated by conflict will easily surpass the 250,000 projection estimated at the beginning of the year.

While undocumented returns are down 35% compared to year on year trends, media reports indicate increasing harassment, arrests and intimidation of Afghans within . June and July have seen significantly increased daily averages in numbers crossing back into Afghanistan at approximately 700 individuals per day. Contingency planning for a potential largescale influx resulting from an escalation in forced evictions is being led by the Government of Afghanistan supported by the humanitarian community.

Low winter temperatures are a predictable seasonal occurrence in Afghanistan. Over the coming months humanitarian actors will work with the Government in developing their national winter contingency plan ensuring adequate preparation should humanitarian response to extreme winter conditions be required. Any assistance provided by the humanitarian community will be responsive, in nature in order to avoid undermining community coping mechanisms or the capacity of the Government to respond to winter-related needs.

Afghanistan also remains vulnerable to natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, drought, crop diseases and pests.

All the above risks reinforce the importance of a strategically capable flexible fund to ensure an agile emergency response anywhere in the country.

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Mandatory Sector Coordination & Consultation Process In order to accelerate the review process for the second standard allocation and ensure funds are made available to partners to implement activities prior to winter, there will be no concept stage requirement for this allocation. Full proposals only, should be submitted no later than August 27th 22:00 AFT.

All interested applicants must contact their relevant cluster to discuss their planned submission. No proposals will be evaluated that have not received guidance and endorsement from their cluster.

Once the allocation strategy is launched all applicants must consult with the clusters to determine if their proposed activities, target beneficiaries and geographic locations align with cluster identified priorities. A letter of support from the cluster, confirming consultation on geographic prioritization and confirming cluster approval of proposed actions and partner obligation to adopt agreed standards should be submitted along with the application.

An initial strategic review of submitted proposals will take place immediately proposals are received using a standard scorecard. This process will be led by the Humanitarian Financing Unit who will immediately deem ineligible any proposals that have not provided documentation of cluster endorsement or who have subsequent to cluster consultations, changed their planned activities so that they no longer align to the allocation strategy and cluster priorities.

Proposals that pass the strategic review will be passed to the cluster led technical review committees.

OCHA will work closely with the clusters throughout the allocation process to ensure allocation of funds to projects that address the highest priority needs first on the basis of recent humanitarian assessments and clearly defined vulnerability criteria.

i Currently, the Refugee & Returnee Chapter is only 19.1% funded (USD 13.98 million) out of a revised HRP budget of USD 73 million, with the refugee response only having received 17.7% (USD 4.69 million) of resources required. ii An assessment carried out by International Mercy Corps in May 2016 found that only 20% of the refugee population has access to water points while 80% are using unsafe sources for water. iii Assessments have taken place identifying 441 families in Qarqin and Khamab districts in Jawzjan province and Khulm district in whose homes were completely destroyed in the spring 2016 floods; 1,439 earthquake-affected families in Badakhshan, Kunar, Kabul and Baghlan provinces who have still to be vulnerability assessed six months on from the provision of initial assistance, iv The nutrition cluster has been without a lead since December 2015, while a permanent shelter cluster lead was only recruited in July 2016 following a two year period in which five coordinators arrived and left in the same space of time. Ad-hoc and irregular contracting of cluster leads has been compounded by resourcing constraints at the co-lead level, with one NGO – who has for years been hosting the protection cluster co-lead – no longer able to finance this position.

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Annex 1: 2SA Mandatory Standard Indicators

Envelope One: Emergency support to address worsening malnutrition crisis Nutrition  Number of boys and girls 0-59 months admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition in priority areas;  Number of Pregnant and Lactating women admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition in priority areas;  Treatment coverage - proportion of SAM children who receive therapeutic care;  Number of TFUs (IDP-SAM) facilities rehabilitated in accordance with WHO-A guidelines.

Envelope Two: Emergency trauma care for conflict casualties Health  Number new FATPs established in priority high risk districts;  Number of trauma care units established/rehabilitated in provincial hospitals providing specialized conflict trauma care.

Envelope Three: Address urgent assistance gaps & reduce ERW casualties among conflict displaced Protection:  Number of vulnerable conflict affected individuals assisted with targeted protective services and assistance addressing their particular protection needs in a rights-based perspective;  Number of vulnerable conflict affected girls and boys assisted with child protection support activities;  Number of girl, boy, female and male GBV-survivors assisted with direct protection support services focused on specialized healthcare, psycho-social support, legal and protection;  Number of prioritized mine/ERW impacted communities visited by EOD teams conducting surveyance, demarcation, and spot-clearance;  Number of conflict affected individuals partaking in community-based prevention and response initiatives;

 Percentage of prioritized mine/ERW impacted population provided with Mine Risk Education; FSAC  Number of agriculture dependant conflict affected individuals receiving emergency agri inputs for livelihood support;  Number of agriculture dependant conflict affected individuals receiving emergency unconditional transfer (food, cash, or voucher); WASH  Number of HEAT assessed recently displaced IDPs provided with a Family Hygiene Kit;  Number of HEAT assessed recently displaced IDPs provided with a Family Water Kit; Health  Number of Khost and Paktika refugees served by emergency primary health care or mobile services.

Envelope Four: Essential humanitarian support to address residual needs of the most vulnerable natural disaster affected ESNFI  Number of people assisted with emergency shelter NFIs and/or winterization assistance  Number of people assisted with ESNFI related cash/voucher assistance FSAC  Number of agriculture dependant natural disaster-affected people receiving emergency livelihood support.  Number of agriculture dependant conflict affected individuals receiving appropriate unconditional transfer (food, cash, or voucher);

Envelope Five: Strengthen coordination and needs assessment  Number of cluster led sector specific needs assessments designed and implemented to enhance humanitarian needs analysis and inform strategic targeting and prioritisation;  Proportion of provinces for which recent data on key humanitarian indicators is available for 2018 humanitarian response planning (collected within 12 months prior to October 2018);  Number of months in country completed by cluster co-lead;  Proportion of key performance indicators/deliverables identified in TOR successfully met.

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Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) Afghanistan 2016 2nd Standard Allocation Strategy – Annex ll

Submission Guidance for Eligible Partners This CHF 2nd Standard Allocation is launched by the HC on Thursday 11 August 2016. From this day, eligible partner organisations have 16 days until Saturday 27 August 2016 by 8 PM AFT to submit full project proposals aligned to the CHF 2nd Standard Allocation Strategy. For the submission of full project proposals, the following regulations are applied: 1. Only eligible CHF Partners that have successfully completed the Due Diligence Review can apply. 2. Only project proposals verified by the relevant Clusters will be reviewed, with confirmed consultation on the proposed actions, adherence to agreed standards, duration and geographic prioritization. 3. Direct implementation of projects by the recipient partner is preferred, however sub-implementing partnerships are considered if clarity on transactional costs is provided, and added value is demonstrated in terms of access, technical knowledge and capacity building. 4. The recommended minimum amount for proposals to be submitted for funding is US$250,000. Where the budget is lower, the relevant Cluster will have to provide a justification. 5. For each Cluster Objective, the partner should select “2SA” standard indicators (see Annex 1) and “2SA” standard activities relevant for the proposed intervention from the drop-down list on the GMS for monitoring and reporting purposes, in addition to the partner’s customized indicators and activities. 6. Eligible partners must use the CHF online Grants Management System (GMS) for the submission of project proposals (https://chfafghanistan.unocha.org). Any questions regarding the GMS are supported by OCHA’s Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) at: [email protected] or CHF Helpline: 079 300 11 39. For the consultation for the development of full project proposals, applying partner are requested to contact the relevant Cluster for consultation on the proposed interventions, adherence to agreed standards, duration and geographic prioritization prior to submission. Cluster Contact Information

HEALTH Nutrition Protection WASH Dr. Altaf Dauod Alfred Kana (interim) Matthijs Zeilstra Ramesh Bhusal WHO UNICEF UNHCR/ APC Cluster Coordinator UNICEF

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Dr. Farhad Farahmand Rachel Fuli William Carter Betman Bhandari ACTD WFP NRC/ APC Co-Coordinator DACAAR dr.farhad.farahmand@

gmail.com [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Hassan Ali Ahmed Fiamma Rupp FSAC ACF CPiE sub-cluster lead Shelter surveillancehod@af.

Abdul Majid missions-acf.org [email protected] Pia Jensen FAO Niaz Awan [email protected] Refugee & coord.afghanistan@shelterclu

[email protected] Returnees GBV sub-cluster lead ster.org

Brian Gray Marguerite Nowak [email protected] Sultani Zainullah WFP UNHCR Fadwa Benmbarek IOM

[email protected] [email protected] Mine Action sub-cluster lead [email protected]

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The Strategic Review of project proposals received through the GMS by the deadline will be based upon: 1. Partner consultation with Cluster prior to submission of project proposal verified by Cluster 2. Proposed interventions are in alignment with CHF Allocation Strategic Envelopes 3. Proposed interventions are in alignment with Cluster HRP Objectives 4. Cluster HRP Standard Indicators (Annex 1) and Eligible Actions defined in the Strategy are utilized 5. Proposed interventions are evidenced-based, with results from recently conducted needs assessments/surveys from the Cluster or partner - or assessment plans and vulnerability criteria are clearly outlined 6. Proposed interventions are located in priority geographic locations according to Cluster needs analysis 7. All tabs and *sections of the Project Proposal on the GMS are completed correctly This Strategic Review will be conducted by the HFU. Only project proposals meeting all of the above criteria will undergo the Technical Review.

The Technical Review of project proposals will ensure that proposals are of the highest possible quality before final approval by the Humanitarian Coordinator. The Technical Review Committees (TRC) are chaired by the Cluster Leads and comprised of UN Agencies and NGOs which are sector/cluster technical experts. In addition, the HFU and Funding Coordination Section - NY review the project budgets for adherence to the CHF Financial Requirements (see Annex 3), whilst specialized working groups are evaluating Access Strategies, Protection Mainstreaming and the Gender Marker Code (see Annex 4). OCHA’s Regional Offices also provide a field level perspective on the partners' presence and acceptance by the community and possible access constraints, performance with other funding or previous CHF support, participation in coordination meetings, and any other important issues to be raised during the TRC meetings. Based upon the information provided on the GMS, the TRC will evaluate and score each section of the project proposal based upon the technical merit of the interventions and: . Beneficiary Prioritization and Selection: determination based on strict criteria in line with Cluster parameters . Accountability to Affected Populations: demonstration of strong linkages with beneficiary communities, feedback mechanisms, etc. . Value for Money: evidence of a high degree of cost effectiveness relative to the project budget. (i.e. maximum outcome and beneficiary reach for every dollar invested) . Monitoring and Reporting: demonstration of clear linkages between monitoring methodology and geographic/thematic requirements . Previous performance: performance of partners who have previously implemented or are currently implementing CHF projects (if applicable) . Exit Strategy: explanation of an exit strategy for the proposed activities or consideration of other funding sources to sustain the intervention after the CHF funding expires

Complaints Mechanism CHF stakeholders with insufficiently addressed concerns or complaints regarding Afghanistan CHF processes or decisions can at any point in time contact the OCHA Head of Office or write to [email protected] with these concerns. Complaints will be compiled, reviewed and raised to the Humanitarian Coordinator, who will then take a decision on necessary action(s). The Humanitarian Coordinator will share with the Advisory Board concerns or complaints and actions taken thereof.

Additional information For more information on the CHF policies and processes, please access the website at: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/afghanistan/common-humanitarian-fund-chf

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Coordination Saves Lives | http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/ Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) Afghanistan 2016 2nd Standard Allocation Strategy – Annex lll

Budget Preparation Guide for CHF funded Projects Established in 2014, the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) in Afghanistan, is a Country Based Pooled Fund (CBPF) directed by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, and managed by OCHA’s Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) to ensure adherence to the principles of economy, efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability. This guide has been developed to clarify the CHF financial requirements for the preparation of CHF project budgets and to enhance the understanding of the main budget related issues encountered during previous allocations, whilst supporting the role of the CHF-Implementing Partners (IP): Participating United Nations Organizations (PUNOs), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and International and Afghan Non-Governmental Organizations, in the budgeting process. CHF-IPs must use the online Grant Management System (GMS) for the submission of project proposals, budgets, reports and revision requests, which can be found at: https://chfafghanistan.unocha.org. 1. The Role of the CHF-IP is to: A. Provide a correct and fair budget breakdown of the planned costs that are necessary to implement the activities and achieve the objectives of the project. B. Use and comply with the budget template of the online GMS, and any budget templates and guidance provided by OCHA for the classification and itemization of planned costs. C. Provide an accurate budget narrative (as an essential component of the budget) that clearly explains the object and the rationale of each budget line. For example, shared costs, large/expensive assets, and costs/equipment required to support the regular operation of the CHF- IP are clear cases where the provision of details will be necessary in the budget narrative. 2. Eligible costs must: A. Be necessary and reasonable for the delivery of the objectives of the project. B. Comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular the principles of economy, efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability. C. Be identifiable in the accounting records and backed by original supporting evidence as incurred, in accordance with the approved project proposal and period. Eligible costs may include: D. Costs of staff (including salaries, social security contributions, medical insurance, and hazard pay for high-risk locations) involved in the management and implementation of the project. E. Salaries and costs may not exceed the costs normally borne by the CHF-IP in other projects. F. Costs for consultancies involved in the implementation of the project. G. Support staff costs at country level directly related to the project may be included. H. Travel and subsistence costs directly linked to the project implementation for project staff consultants, and other personnel that may also be eligible, provided the costs do not exceed those normally borne by the CHF-IP. I. A contribution to the CHF-IP’s Country Office costs, such as shared costs charged on the basis of a well-explained calculation and a reasonable allocation system. Shared costs must be itemized. J. The financial support to beneficiaries, including cash and voucher based distribution. K. Purchase costs for goods and services delivered to the beneficiaries of the project, including quality control, transport, storage and distribution costs. L. Costs related to non-expendable items (assets) such as equipment, information and technology (IT) equipment for registration and relevant field activities, medical equipment water pumps and generators, etc. M. Expenditures incurred by the CHF-IP related to the award of contracts required for the implementation of the project, such as expenses for the tendering process. N. Costs incurred by the CHF-IP’s sub-implementing partners, directly attributable to the implementation of the project.

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O. Other costs deriving directly from the requirements of the grant agreement such as monitoring, reporting, evaluation, dissemination of information, translation, insurance etc., including financial service costs (in particular bank fees for transfers). 3. Direct and Indirect Costs: There are two categories of eligible expenditures: direct costs and indirect costs. Direct Costs: A. Direct costs have to be clearly linked to the project activities described in the project proposal and the logical framework. B. Direct costs are defined as actual costs directly related to the implementation of the project to cover the costs of goods and services delivered to beneficiaries, and the costs related to the support activities (even partial, such as a security guard or a logistician partially working for the project), required for the delivery of services and the achievement of the project objectives. C. Direct costs include: a. Staff and related personnel costs, including consultants and other personnel. b. Supplies, commodities, materials. c. Equipment. d. Contractual services. e. Travel costs, including transportation, fuel, and daily subsistence allowances for staff, consultants and other personnel linked to the project. f. Transfers and grants to counterparts/sub-implementing partners. g. General operating and other direct costs including security expenses, office stationary, and utilities such as telecommunications, internet, office rental and other direct costs, including expenses for monitoring, evaluation and reporting, related to the implementation of the project. Indirect Costs: D. Indirect costs are referred to as Programme Support Costs (PSC). PSC are all costs that are incurred by the CHF- IP regardless of the scope and level of its activities and which cannot be traced unequivocally to specific activities, projects or programmes. These costs typically include corporate costs (i.e. headquarters and statutory bodies, legal services, general procurement and recruitment etc.) not related to service provision to a particular project. PSC is charged as a maximum 7 % of the approved direct expenditures incurred by the CHF-IP. E. PSC of sub-IPs associated to the implementation of a specific project are covered by the overall maximum 7% of the actual project expenditures, and may not be duplicated in the sub-IPs’ budget. F. Indirect costs do not have to be itemized in the project budget. 4. Shared Costs: Sharing costs between different donors and projects under a Country programme of the CHF-IP is an acceptable practice for CBPFs. The CHF-IP may share certain Country office costs to different uses and projects, for example staff, office rent, utilities and rented vehicles. However: A. All shared costs must be directly linked to the project implementation. B. All shared costs shall be itemized in the budget, following standard accounting practice and based on a well-justified, reasonable and fair allocation system, to be clearly explained in the budget narrative of each relevant budget line to be assessed and approved by OCHA’s HFU. C. The CHF-IP should at any time be able to demonstrate how the costs were derived and explain in the budget narrative and logical framework (if relevant) of the project proposal, how the calculation has been made (e.g.pro- rata, averages). D. For staff-related costs, if a position is cost-shared, the percentage of the monthly cost corresponding to the time that the person will dedicate to the project shall be budgeted. It is not acceptable to have portions of a unit for staff costs, only percentages are acceptable. E. Non-staff shared costs should be shared on the basis of an equitable cost allocation system. F. Accordingly, the percentages in the budget are to be assessed and approved by OCHA’s HFU. 5. Guidance on the Itemization of Budget Lines: Each budget line requires the cost breakdown and narrative, as follows:

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A. Itemize each national and international staff, consultants and other personnel by function and provide unit quantity and unit cost by monthly or daily rates for each staff position. B. Provide unit or quantity (e.g., 10 kits, 1000 metric tons) and unit cost for commodities, supplies and materials to be purchased. The budget narrative should be used to account properly for specifying the applicable unit of reference (length, volume, weight, area, etc.). C. Provide cluster standard / technical specifications for items whose unit cost is greater than US$ 4,000. D. Provide list of items and estimated cost per item for kits, when the kit value is greater than US$ 4,000. E. Provide the list of items included in kits whose individual value is equal to or less than US$ 4,000. F. Provide the list of items for globally standard / cluster standard kits. G. Provide cluster standard / technical specifications for those items whose unit costs can greatly vary, based on those same specifications (e.g., for generators, a reference to the possible range of power would be sufficient to properly evaluate the accuracy of the estimated cost). H. Provide details for any contracts so that the object of the contract results are clearly identified. I. Itemize general operating costs (e.g. office rent, telecommunications, internet, utilities) for project implementation providing quantity and unit cost. A lump sum for operating costs is not acceptable. J. Estimates can be accepted in travel, as long as the calculation modality of the estimate is described reasonably in the budget narrative (e.g., providing estimates on the number of trips and average duration in days, daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, etc.). K. National travel: estimate number of trips and cost per trip. L. International travel: estimate number of trips and cost per trip. M. In the case of construction works whose individual value is greater than US$ 4,000, only the labor costs and known essential materials shall be budgeted and itemized, providing unit/quantity and unit cost. The budget narrative should explain how construction costs have been estimated on the basis of a cluster standard prototype of building (latrine, health post, shelter), type of materials (wood, prefabricated, brick/cement/concrete) and formula or rationale used to estimate construction costs (e.g. per square foot or meter, previous experiences, etc.). 6. Ineligible costs that remain the sole responsibility of the CHF-IP: A. Costs incurred outside the approved implementation period defined by the project start date to project end date (taking into consideration duly approved no-cost extensions). B. Costs not included in the approved budget (taking into consideration duly approved budget revisions). C. Debts and provisions for possible future losses or debts. D. Interest owed by the CHF-IP to any third party. E. Items already financed from other sources. F. Purchases of land or buildings. G. Currency exchange losses. H. Cessions and rebates by the CHF-IP, contractors or staff of the CHF-IP as part of declared costs for the project. I. Government staff salaries. J. Hospitality expenses, provision of food/refreshments for project staff (not including water and hospitality for trainings, events and meeting directly related to project implementation). K. Incentives, mark-ups, gifts to staff. L. Fringe benefits such as cars provided by the organization to staff, individual full housing allowance and the like. M. Fines and penalties. N. Duties, charges, taxes (including VAT) recoverable by the CHF-IP. O. Global evaluation of programmes. P. Audit fees/system audit fees – these costs are paid directly by the fund. 7. Other types of costs: On a case-by-case basis and depending on the approved allocation strategy, OCHA’s HFU retains the flexibility to consider the following costs as eligible: A. Government staff training as a component of a project activity that contributes to the achievement of the overall project objectives.

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B. Visibility material of the CHF-IP directly related to projects funded by the CHF. Please refer to the CHF-Afghanistan - Communications and Visibility Guidelines 2016. C. International travel costs when directly linked to the delivery of the project objectives. When international travel costs are requested to support additional activities outside those of the project, such costs can only be considered if they are well justified and in the proportion attributable to the project. D. Vehicles. E. Depreciation costs for non-expendable/durable equipment used for the project for which the cost is not funded in the current budget or prior CBPF funding. F. Equipment for the regular operations of the CHF-IP. G. Recurrent costs for the CHF-IP’s current operations. 8. Lessons learned / main issues encountered during previous CHF allocations: A. Overall: a. Project budgets will be evaluated based upon a 80/20 beneficiary cost ratio and adherence to CHF budget preparation/financial guidelines. b. Detailed narratives are required for each budget line (description, unit quantity, unit cost, duration, time units, and % charged to the CHF). c. All budget lines must contribute to the direct implementation of the project. d. When a budget breakdown (BoQ) is requested by the HFU: i. Use the provided MS Excel file, all sheets should have the same format. ii. Within the provided MS Excel file, use one excel sheet per budget line of the budget on the GMS. iii. The total cost should be in USD and should exactly match the unit cost disclosed in the budget on the GMS. e. Lump sums are not permitted - All amounts should be clearly budgeted and explained. f. All comments at the bottom of the GMS budget tab must be addressed, and “saved” before re-submitting to the HFU, in order to facilitate the transparent communication process. B. On the Budget Narratives: a. All figures must reconcile with the unit cost in the narrative - Thus, if the cost is in AFN, needs to convert the amount to USD and reconcile with the unit cost in the budget. b. The foreign exchange rate on the date the budget preparation is used. c. No acronyms are used in the budget narrative. C. On Staffing Costs: a. No duplication/overlap of field staff and Kabul staff positions. b. International and national staff must be itemized by function. D. On Supplies & Equipment: a. For “kits” with a unit cost greater than US$ 4,000, the list of items and the estimated cost of items included in the kits must be provided. b. For “kits” with a unit cost equal to or less than US$ 4,000, only the list of items included in the kits must be provided. c. The list of items for globally /cluster standardized kits must be provided (e.g. Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) kits). d. No equipment previously acquired under CHF funding will be permitted (computer, printers…). E. On Contractual Services: a. Rentals should be in Class 4. F. On Operating Costs: a. General operating costs (office rent, internet, utilities…) must be itemized. b. If the fund is transferred through an authorized agent or bank, then specify as "cash transfer fee". Usually Hawala or Hundi are not the legal way of transferring the funds. At least a contract should be signed. Any questions regarding this Guide, the CHF-Afghanistan and the GMS are supported by OCHA’s HFU at: [email protected] or on the CHF Helpline: 079 300 11 39.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Coordination Saves Lives | http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/ Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) Afghanistan 2016 2nd Standard Allocation Strategy – Annex IV

Guidance for IASC Gender Marker Codes The purpose of this guiding document is to support CHF partners in ensuring gender equality and gender awareness activities are mainstreamed within CHF project activities. The IASC Gender Marker is a tool that codes on a 2-0 scale (see table below) whether or not a humanitarian project is designed to ensure that women, men, boys and girls of all ages will benefit equally from the intervention. The purpose of gender codes is to increase gender responsiveness in humanitarian actions and enhance their effectiveness. The IASC Gender Marker is required for all CHF funded projects. The minimum gender marker code for all CHF Projects is 1, however the CHF aims to increase the number of projects coded as 2A or 2B. Projects with zero code will not be approved without modification. The technical review process of proposals submitted under CHF allocations include an evaluation of the Gender Marker Code and Justification of Chosen Gender Marker Code by a committee from GenCap and UNWOMEN in Afghanistan. GENDER CODE 2A - GENDER MAIN STREAMING: "Potential to contribute significantly to gender equality"  A gender and age analysis is included in the project’s needs assessment;  Gender and age analysis is reflected in 1 or more project’s activities;  Gender and age analysis is reflected in 1 or more project outcomes.

GENDER CODE 2B - TARGETED ACTIONS: “Project’s principal purpose is to advance gender equality”  The gender analysis in the needs assessment justifies this project in which all activities and all outcomes advance gender equality.  Targeted actions are projects responding to the disadvantage, discrimination or special needs of women, girls, boys or men.  All targeted actions are based on gender and age analysis.

GENDER CODE 1: “Potential to contribute in some limited way to gender equality”  There are gender dimensions in only one or two components of the project sheet: i.e. in needs assessment, activities and outcomes.  The project does not have all three: i.e. gender and age analysis in the needs assessment, which leads to gender and age-responsive activities and related gender and age outcomes.  Where gender and age appear in outcomes only, the project is still considered gender-blind.

GENDER CODE 0: “No visible potential to contribute to gender equality”  Gender and age are not reflected anywhere in the project proposal or only appear in the outcomes.  There is risk that the project will unintentionally fail to meet the needs of some population groups and possibly even do some harm.  This type of project should be considered as gender-blind.

CODE N/A – Not Applicable: The project does not have direct contact with affected populations, including their employment, and does not directly affect or determine the selection or use of resources, goods or services accessed by affected populations.

Additional guidance on the IASC Gender Marker can be found at: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/topics/gender/page/iasc-gender-marker

Coordination Saves Lives The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. http://afg.humanitarianresponse.info/ http://www.unocha.org/afghanistan/about-fund [email protected]