Afghanistan | AWD Preparedness and Response Plan 2026 2027

Please refer to the attached file. Background In 2026, an estimated 21. 9 million people, around 45% of Afghanistan’s population, will require humanitarian assistance, reflecting only a slight decrease from 2025 and keeping Afghanistan among the world’s largest humanitarian crises. This includes 17. 4 million people facing acute food insecurity, of whom 4. 7 million are in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC ) Phase 4 (Emergency), more than double last year›s figure. Children and women remain highly vulnerable, with malnutrition worsening due to severe food insecurity. Reference to Afghanistan National health policy, Afghanistan has an area of 652, 864 square kilometers, and as of 1403 (2024) in the Islamic calendar, its population is estimated to be 35. 7 million people. Of this, 18. 2 million (51. 0%) are male, and 17. 5 million (49. 0%) are female. The population is estimated 48 millions as per UN estimation. Afghanistan has 34 provinces and 401 districts with monotonous geography and scattered population with many hard to reach areas. Humanitarian needs continue to be driven by deep structural vulnerabilities and recurrent shocks. Drought conditions persist, severely affecting 12 provinces and impacting 3. 4 million people, compounded by a forecasted La Niña pattern bringing below‑average rainfall and rising temperatures. Afghanistan also continues to face frequent earthquakes, floods, disease outbreaks, and large-scale returnee inflows, with more than 2. 61 million Afghans returning from Pakistan and Iran in 2025 alone, placing immense pressure on host communities and overstretched basic services. Protection risks especially for women and girls remain severe and are expected to intensify due to enforced restrictions by the de facto authorities, alongside explosive ordnance contamination, child labour, early marriage, and gender based violence. On average, 50 people are killed or injured each month due to explosive ordnance. Compounding these issues, Afghanistan’s economy continues to shrink, household debt is widespread, and livelihood opportunities remain limited, further eroding community resilience and deepening humanitarian dependence. The massive returnee influx further strains basic services, shelter, WASH systems, and health facilities, especially in border and rural areas. Amid these challenges, the WASH and Health Clusters remain committed to delivering essential services, including safe water, sanitation, hygiene promotion, primary healthcare, disease outbreak response, and nutrition services. Efforts prioritize the most vulnerable communities, focusing on life‑saving and protective interventions and ensuring equitable access across the most severely affected regions.

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