While displacement induced by conflict has reduced in the past few years, the sudden influx of forced returnees, economic shocks, recurrent floods, earthquakes, and other natural disaster events continued into Q1 2024. These events, were compounded by residual shelter needs for more than 30,000 families affected by the earthquakes in Herat, seasonal winter and shelter needs for forced returnees and the heightened risk of evictions for IDPs residing in informal settlements.

Residual needs from the impact of three powerful (6.3 magnitude) earthquakes struck Herat Province, western Afghanistan, remained a critical driver of need for the shelter Cluster. These earthquakes left thousands of already-vulnerable families in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, with shelter, food, and water and sanitation needs particularly high. Similarly, the earthquake resulted in significant needs for persons with specific needs who constitute 22 per cent of the affected families. More than 48,600 families remain in open space, makeshift structures, tents, partially or destroyed houses, which are unsafe, lack privacy, dignity, leaving children, the elderly, women, exposed to severe sandstorms, and the cold harsh weather and in urgent and dire need of emergency shelter, repair, retrofitting and transitional shelter assistance.

The sudden influx of 1.3 million documented and undocumented returnees from Pakistan triggered emergency shelter, NFI, seasonal winter needs and shelter repair and transitional shelters support for more than 530,000 documented and undocumented returnees at border points and the need for shelter repair and transitional shelter needs at points of destinations.

Despite a decrease in the number of settlements over the past two years, a large population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) still residing in 893 informal settlements, with an estimated 450,000 households, which includes recent returnees from Pakistan. De facto authorities (DfA) continued to push for the return of IDPs and people living in informal settlements and clearance of informal settlements, particularly those sitting on government and private land. 

The ES-NFI Cluster continues all its core activities, ensuring that crisis affected-people of all genders and diversities – including vulnerable groups with specific protection needs – have immediate and adequate access to emergency shelter; non-food items; transitional shelter; shelter repairs and winterization support – to address needs from the impact of natural disasters, conflict, cross-border returns, and the lack of recovery, driven by the multi-faceted crises. These efforts are facilitated through the Cluster Coordination, Camp Management and Camp Coordination (CCCM), which includes the care and maintenance of infrastructure in informal settlements (ISET).