AFG_Joint Response Afghanistan

Afghanistan is currently facing an escalating humanitarian crisis with the staggering influx of Afghan returnees from Pakistan. Over one million Afghans (documented and undocumented) are expected to return to Afghanistan by the end of 2016. Due to a change of dynamics in the Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, especially with an intensifying spread of terrorism, as well as Afghanistan’s deepening ties with India, the issue of returns is again at the forefront, this time with more pressure from the Government of Pakistan to speed up the process. The increasing number of returnees combined with the coming winter is likely to see increased needs of returnee and IDP families. Nangarhar province is located in East Afghanistan and includes Turkham, a major border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The majority of returnees crossing the Turkham border settle in Nangarhar province, which increases pressure on host communities as they compete for the already scarce resources and meagre economic and employment opportunities. The unstable security situation with both Islamic State and the Taliban fighting over control of territory further intensifies this humanitarian crisis . In the recent UNHCR led joint needs assessment of October 2016 , food security (FS), emergency shelter and NFI related support were identified as critical needs of these recent returnees. Over 50% of assessed households (approximately 2,500 families) reported to have used a food security coping mechanism such as skipping meals, taking smaller portions. 69% of the assessed returnee households reported to have no food stocks at all (over 2,700 families), and 26% reported to have less than a week of food stocks (over 1000 families). Furthermore, 332 returnee households were found to be staying in open areas, 206 households are using tents, and 3,201 households are renting. Almost all returnee households reported a need for non-food items and many households highlighted warm clothing and blankets in anticipation of winter2