United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan on Saturday launched its Humanitarian Response Plan for this year and said a staggering  9.3 million people – around one-third of Afghanistan's population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2017.

In his foreword in the report, Mark Bowden, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said Afghanistan is one of the most protracted humanitarian emergencies in the world.

“Tragically for many Afghans, 2016 saw no let-up in the conflict. As a consequence, more than half a million people fled their homes, many of whom are now living in prolonged displacement.”

He said large scale displacement in Afghanistan has also been accompanied by another major population movement with the return of hundreds of thousands of Afghan citizens from both Pakistan and Iran.

The scale of this return movement was largely unanticipated, he added.

“Up to a million more returns are expected to arrive in Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran in 2017.

“Despite a decade of some of the highest levels of international assistance in the world, the poverty rate has increased since 2011 and will likely increase further in 2017. 40 percent of the population are food insecure and over 1 million children need treatment for acute malnutrition.”

Bowden stated that early reports indicate that maternal mortality rates have also risen in Afghanistan. With about 40 percent of the country’s population out of reach of the national health service.

According to him, this Humanitarian Response Plan is focused on meeting immediate life-saving needs: providing relief to Afghans affected by natural disaster and
Conflict; trauma care for war wounded patients; treatment to children with acute malnutrition; access to skilled birth attendance and maternal and new-born care in conflict stricken and hard to access districts; and ensuring the safety
and security of families fleeing violence.

The changing nature of internal displacement has also necessitated a greater focus on meeting the needs of those people facing more prolonged and protracted displacement who now live in semi-permanent crisis.

Speaking at the launch, Bowden said: “Increased assistance (is) needed to ensure lives of many Afghans are not endangered.”

Meanwhile, CEO Abdullah Abdullah said at the launch that $550 million USD is needed this year to help with humanitarian assistance.

Abdullah said of this, $240 million USD will be used for return refugees and emergency situations.

But Swedish Ambassador Anders Sjöberg said the long-lasting conflict in Afghanistan is at the core of the humanitarian crisis.