Key Points
- New security arrangements to be adopted in aftermath of attack on UN guesthouse
- 2010 Humanitarian Action Plan to be launched in November
- H1N1 outbreak reported in Afghan population
- Winter preparedness ongoing
- Civilian casualties drop from August/September levels
I. Humanitarian Overview
Access
Although the total number of security incidents declined in October compared to previous months, the attack on Bakhtar guesthouse on 28 October that killed eight people, including five UN staff members, has seriously altered the operating environment for the United Nations and is expected to impact the larger humanitarian community as well. All aspects of security arrangements for UN staff in Afghanistan are under review, with emphasis on reducing the vulnerability of staff accommodation. Temporary relocation of staff to more secure locations, including in some cases outside the country, has been adopted while the security infrastructure is strengthened.
In response to the temporary absence of staff and the expectation that security will continue to deteriorate, UN agencies are reviewing critical programs in order to maintain key activities in an environment of fewer resources and more restricted access in the near term.
In discussions with the Humanitarian Country Team on 5 November, NGOs indicated that while NGOs have varied in their responses – some have scaled down temporarily while others have not changed their operations – it is agreed that the changed security environment will affect all aspects of humanitarian operations. In particular, as discussed at an ECHA meeting on 2 November, there is likely to be even greater reliance on local partners and remote management in implementation of activities. The humanitarian community will need to pay close attention to these issues in the coming months.
It is not clear what impact that the cancellation of the runoff election and declaration of the incumbent President as the winner will have on the security situation. Although there was a high concentration of election staff in the targeted guesthouse, DSS says that it has credible intelligence that it was intended as an attack on the broader UN, not just election workers.
2010 Humanitarian Action Plan
The 2010 Humanitarian Action Plan (HAP) is largely complete. As agreed by the humanitarian community, the HAP focuses on meeting the needs of vulnerable populations and highlights how humanitarian activities complement longer-term development programs. The document is now being reviewed by agencies and will be endorsed by the HC before being included in the global HAP launch on 30 November. A caveat will be added to the final document that the context analysis and response plans are subject to change due to the security situation. There will be a workshop with NGOs, UN agencies, and donors in Kabul to launch the HAP locally and to further discuss implementation of the HAP strategy.
H1N1 Outbreak
According to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), 75 new cases of Influenza A(H1N1) were diagnosed in the Afghan population from 30 Oct-1 Nov, including one death. Kabul is the most affected area, with cases also reported in Herat and Mazar. In response, the Government announced on 1 November that it would close schools for three weeks and launch a public information and awareness campaign. WHO is providing the Ministry with medicine and equipment, as well as up to 1 million vaccines for high-risk groups, to be delivered as soon as pledged contributions of vaccines to WHO Geneva are fulfilled.
Winter Preparedness
OCHA's field offices are updating lists of emergency stocks in each region to identify gaps in advance of the winter. IOM is assisting with the procurement of NFIs for prepositioning for the winter and spring flood responses. ECHO has also allocated resources for winter needs in communities affected by the previous round of spring floods. In the Northeast, ECHO will support food/cash for work for 3,089 households and shelter support for 991 households in 10 districts in Baghlan and Badakhshan. ECHO's implementing partners in the Northern region are also contacting ECHO for funding.
