do-not-forget-afghanistan.acbar.orgDO NOT FORGET AFGHANISTAN – ACBAR | DO NOT FORGET AFGHANISTAN – ACBAR

DO NOT FORGET AFGHANISTAN Kabul, November 17th, 2014 ACBAR, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief & Development, is an Afghan independent Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) bringing together 135 national and international NGOs working in Afghanistan and abiding by the humanitarian principles of independence, neutrality, impartiality and humanity. As the collective voice of NGOs operating in Afghanistan, ACBAR’s activities have focused heavily on; information to its members / the aid community, coordination of activities at the national / regional levels, and advocacy on issues affecting the work of its members. http://www.acbar.org ****** NGOs are actors of the humanitarian and development sector in Afghanistan. As part of the Afghan Civil Society, they provide support to the population that ranges from emergency relief, to reconstruction and development aid, in particular through the delivery of basic services to the population. Since the end of the Taliban regime in 2001, lot of progress has been made and many improvements in the life of Afghan men, women and children are visible, in part thanks to the work of NGOs. School enrollment in Afghanistan jumped from one to eight million between 2002 and 2013. The average life expectancy increased from 42 to 49 years. Maternal mortality dropped from 1600 deaths per 100,000 births in 2001 to 327 deaths in 2010; and Afghans now have better access to safe drinking water. However, much remains to be done. The campaign Do not forget Afghanistan” is a worldwide coordinated campaign with multiple events scheduled to start on the 14th of November and last until the end of the month in more than 20 countries. ACBAR members are working in coalitions in countries where their Headquarters are located in order to raise the profile of Afghanistan and its population and to attract the citizens and policy makers’ attention on the populations’ needs; as media and international’s interests too often focus on the military situation concerning Afghanistan, and too rarely on the living conditions of its people. Through a multitude of various events, such as conferences, roundtables and photo-exhibits; NGOs will showcase the diversity of the activities that they implement in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan, supporting the most vulnerable populations. A video documentary commissioned by ACBAR and realized in October 2014 by Michal Przedlacki and Wojciech Szumowski will also be broadcasted during some of the events and available online for viewing. On social media, the campaign will use the hash-tag #DontForgetAfghanistan and a photo gallery will be available at donotforgetafghanistandnfa. ACBAR NGO members and ACBAR’s team hope that you will appreciate the campaign and that you will contribute in ensuring that the situation of the Afghan population is not forgotten. ***** Activities are planned in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, UK, USA, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland as well as Afghanistan. Media Contact: Available for interviews Fiona Gall ACBAR director director@acbar.org +93.706.602.570 Complementary Information http://www.acbar.org Twitter: @donotforgetafgh That’s why ACBAR in partnership with NGOs member is launching is campaign to remember about the achievement made by NGOs and CSOs in the life of Afghan citizens, but also the remaining needs in the country. Afghanistan remains one of the least developed countries in the world. Poverty rates do not appear to have declined between 2007 and 2011, and demographic pressures are rising. Afghanistan remains highly dependent on aid and overall reductions have been simulated by the World Bank to halve Afghanistan’s future growth prospects, which will be particularly damaging for young people. Civilians are increasingly impacted by the conflict. The number of civilian casualties [killed and injured] has been constantly growing since 2009 when the United Mission in Afghanistan started to collect such data. In 2013, UNAMA estimates that 5656 civilians were injured and 2959 killed by parties to the conflict. The numbers for the first semester of 2014 indicate an even more dramatic impact on civilians, with casualties increasing by 24% in total compare to the same period in 2013. There remains a considerable humanitarian emergency, which is under-funded. Nine million Afghans need humanitarian assistance, 5 million of whom require life-saving support. In addition to commitments under TMAF, the international community must respond to emergency needs and fully fund the humanitarian appeals for Afghanistan. Investing in long-term solutions and resilience can help to end cycles of poverty and improve Afghanistan’s ability to withstand shocks. NGOs in general will continue to face significant difficulties in reaching populations in need due to several factors combining to limit access. Scaling up humanitarian interventions in areas of greatest need, in particular the most insecure areas is therefore very complex. Violence against women continues to be a widespread problem across Afghanistan. Although the numbers of women reporting violence increased by 28 per cent in 2013, there was practically no change in the number of cases tried under the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law. There are concerns about the possible roll-back of women’s rights beyond 2014. Women and children continue to be particularly vulnerable to deteriorating security conditions in the country. There are widespread and significant displacements amongst the Afghan population. The most common causes are the armed conflict, harassment, intimidation and extortion; forced recruitment by the parties to the conflict; insecurity and natural disasters. The number of people newly displaced by armed conflict increased from 100,000 in 2012 to 124,000 in 2013. Protracted displacement is also a growing concern, with more than 310,000 people displaced since 2011. As of June 2014, conflict induced Internally Displaced People (IDPs) were more than 683,000 with over 10,000 new IDPs profiled each month. The exposure of humanitarians to violence is increasing, resulting in deaths, injuries, kidnappings and restricted operations. Such violence is the results of both accidental impacts [collateral] and deliberate and hostile events by all parties to the conflict and armed criminal groups. This has a particularly dire impact when impacting the health sector. Since January 2014, 140 ‘ security incidents have directly harmed NGOs. Health situation remains really fragile in Afghanistan for the population. Total under-five deaths is 103 over 1000 birth. And the finding of the recent national nutrition survey revealed that the malnutrition rates among children 0–59 months of age at national level are as follows; stunting 40.9%, severe stunting 20.9% and moderate stunting at 20.0% r.). One in five Afghan women aged 15-24 are literate and this number is even worse in rural areas. And the net attendance ratio for secondary school is only 42.8% for male and 21.1% for female. International funds to support Humanitarian and Development activities in the country are decreasing considerably with tragic consequences for Afghan population and especially its most vulnerable components. The international community MUST commit sufficient long-term funding for the development of the country. LET’s ALL MAKE IT HARD TO FORGET AND EASY TI REMEMBER! Follow us on #dontforgetafghanistan facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ACBAR/468616779884042?ref=hl twitter: https://twitter.com/donotforgetafgh Flickr Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/128686444@N03/ ACBAR’s Member DAO’s physical rehabilitation center is producing artificial limbs for persons with disabilities. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pashto/multimedia/2014/01/000000_tv-on-demand Afghanistan,in lands of the East...