Geneva – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for USD 158.9 million to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of millions of Afghans and to support recovery and resilience within the country and the region.

“The crisis unfolding in Afghanistan is intensifying humanitarian needs and increasing displacement risks both inside the country, as well as across borders to countries in the region,” said António Vitorino, IOM Director General. 

“The Afghan population, already burdened by decades of conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent economic downturn, and a severe drought, is in dire need of support.”  

IOM’s Comprehensive Action Plan for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries aims to help the most vulnerable populations by combining humanitarian, development and peace interventions, known as the HDP nexus.

While current population movements across borders are moderate, the risk of economic collapse and further deterioration of the socio-economic and security situation in Afghanistan cannot be ruled out, which might lead to more people leaving for countries in the region such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.  

There are now an estimated 5.5 million Internally Displaced Persons in Afghanistan (IDPs), including those living in protracted situations, and 664,000 newly displaced by conflict in 2021. This is in addition to more than 924,744 undocumented Afghan returnees who returned from Iran and Pakistan between 1 January and the end of September, and the more than 2.2. million refugees and 3.5 million undocumented Afghan nationals already in neighboring countries, primarily Iran and Pakistan. 

IOM is currently the largest provider of emergency shelter and non-food items in Afghanistan, delivering relief to more than 34,000 people recently displaced by conflict and natural disasters between 15 August and 30 September.

Health teams reached 11,347 people during the same six-week period with direct medical assistance, including 9,170 out-patient consultations, 1,357 reproductive health consultations, more than 820 psychosocial counselling sessions and COVID-19 screening for 394,600 travelers.

The Organization assisted 9,237 vulnerable undocumented migrants at or near border crossings and screened more than 1,360 returnees for protection concerns. Multi-sectoral, post-arrival assistance was provided to 630 persons with specific needs and nearly 20,000 people have benefitted from disaster risk reduction, as well as recovery, reintegration and resilience initiatives, since the beginning of the crisis.

On 1 September, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) teams activated the Emergency Event Tracking (EET) tool in Afghanistan to monitor the displacement of individuals, as well as their level of access to services and assistance following episodes of drought and rapid political changes. This assessment covers all 34 provinces, 359 districts and 8,633 villages.

While governments in other countries prepare responses to the Afghan crisis, IOM's Comprehensive Action Plan is needed to help ensure that the regional impact of the crisis can be mitigated, the humanitarian and protection needs of Afghans can be met, and the resilience of host communities both in and out of Afghanistan can be strengthened for longer-term inclusive and sustainable development.

IOM will work closely with other UN agencies, governments, civil society and partners to coordinate the implementation of the plan.

IOM’s Global Crisis Response Platform provides an overview of IOM’s plans and funding requirements to respond to the evolving needs and aspirations of those impacted by, or at risk of, crisis and displacement in 2021 and beyond. The Platform is regularly updated as crises evolve, and new situations emerge.

For more information, please contact:

In Geneva: Paul Dillon, Managing Editor and Spokesperson, email: pdillon@iom.int, Tel: + 41 79 636 9874

In Kabul: Safa Msehli, IOM Spokesperson, email: smsehli@iom.int