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Afghanistan + 2 more

Commission decision of on the approval and financing of a Global Plan for humanitarian Actions from the budget of the European Communities in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan

Attachments

(ECHO/-AS/BUD/2009/01000)

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Since the military intervention in 2001 the international community has made a huge commitment to Afghanistan. Donors pledged considerable amounts for reconstruction at international conferences in Tokyo (2002), Berlin (2004), London (2006) and finally Paris in 2008. With the increasing impact of this post-emergency aid DG ECHO progressively scaled down the amount and range of its funding, from 73,000,000 EUR in 2002 to 22,500,000 EUR in 2006. However, the progressive deterioration in the security situation has made it increasingly difficult to carry out development and reconstruction projects in many parts of the country. This, coupled with many years of drought, has generated a greatly increased level of humanitarian need and has left large numbers of returnees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and their host communities highly vulnerable. Consequently it was necessary to increase DG ECHO's humanitarian aid budget in 2007 to 27,000,000 EUR (including 6,000,000 EUR for food aid) and to 34,800,000 EUR in 2008 (including 9,800,000 for food aid).

Renewed and intensified fighting in several areas in Afghanistan has compounded the difficulty of achieving a minimum standard of living and has created new humanitarian needs in battle affected areas. In addition, the major rehabilitation effort now underway is offset by the sheer scale of refugee return. It is estimated that over 20 % of the present incountry population has returned in the past five years, making it the largest repatriation operation in the world. A further 2,750,000 persons registered as refugees live in neighbouring Pakistan (1,800,000) and Iran (900,000) which also host an unknown number of Afghans without legal status. Both countries have expressed the intention that all Afghans should return to their home country in the near future, and pressure to achieve this goal has been mounting. Consequently, the absolute level of needs remains very high and requires a continued and increased humanitarian engagement. This is well illustrated through DG ECHO's global needs assessment index (GNA), which ranks Afghanistan in the highest category of need for 2009, and also by the fact that one out of every four Afghan children dies before his/her fifth birthday.

The main need identified for DG ECHO's assistance is for the return and sustainable reintegration of 220,000 of the most vulnerable refugees and 235,0005 IDPs, with the main sectors identified as water and sanitation, shelter and protection. Battle affected populations will also be considered as a priority together with drought affected population. People affected by small scale disasters will also be assisted where needed. The main risks and assumptions relate to access, which is often constrained by security problems or by the logistical challenges of the mountain and desert terrain.