Afghanistan

2020 Country Profile

Joined: September 2017

Population: 38.93 million

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Nutrition situation

Under five stunting (%) 38.2
Under five overweight (%) 4.1
Anaemia in women 15-49 years (%) 42.0
Under five wasting (%) 5.1
Low birth weight (%) n.a.
0 to 5-month-old exclusive breastfeeding (%) 57.5
Adolescent overweight (%) Male: 8.1 / Female: 9.3
Adult overweight (%) Male: 19.7 / Female: 26.1
Adult obesity (%) Male: 3.2 / Female: 7.7
Adult diabetes (%) Male: 11.6 / Female: 12.3

COVID-19 snapshot

COVID hit Afghanistanís fragile health system, economy and social fabric hard, leading to a worsening of an already alarming nutritional situation. A comprehensive National COVID Response Plan was launched in April 2020, but fell short of addressing the social, economic and nutrition impact.

Institutional transformations 2019-2020

Total weighted
n.a.
2014
Not available
2015
Not available
2016
Not available
2017
Not available
2018
Not available
2019
48%
2020
Not available

Bringing people together into a shared space for action

AFSeN-A (SUN) is 40 national members and networks in all sectors, government, UN, donors, civil society, private sector and academia. 28 similar provincial committees insure action.

AFSeN-A is a High-Level Food Security and Nutrition FSN Steering Committee, FSN Executive Committee, FSN Development Partners Working Group, FS Working Group (WG), Nutrition WG, Advocacy WG and FSN Civil Society Alliance.

Work is ongoing to finalize the Parliamentarian Caucus, Business, Youth and Academia Networks.
2014
Not available
2015
Not available
2016
Not available
2017
Not available
2018
Not available
2019
40%
2020
Not available

Ensuring a coherent policy and legal framework

Changes in Government, triggered by elections, led the President to integrate AFSeN-A (SUN) into the Administrative office of the President. This places AFSeN-A at the heart of power and decision making.

AFSeN-A has used this new position and Focal Point, Senior Advisor to First Vice President Mr Haroun Mir, to help pass food fortification legislation, endorse a food safety and control authority, review school curricula and include nutrition in the Afghan national peace and development framework.
2014
Not available
2015
Not available
2016
Not available
2017
Not available
2018
Not available
2019
27%
2020
Not available

Aligning actions around common results

The AFSeN-A (SUN) Strategic Plan is a road map for all the food security and nutrition related actions/interventions in Afghanistan. It spells out the roles and responsibilities of government and non-government stakeholders and identifies coordination structures at the central level and at the subnational level for achieving a common goal.
2014
Not available
2015
Not available
2016
Not available
2017
Not available
2018
Not available
2019
45%
2020
Not available

Financial tracking and resource mobilisation

In 2019 AFSeN-A (SUN) conducted a costing exercise of the food security and nutrition activities of the Strategic Plan. This will help the government and partners better understand what resources will be required to implement the activities.

Next challenge is to set up a financial tracking system for food security and nutrition and tackle the very low levels of national budget allocation for nutrition, to increase impact, sustainability and reduce dependence on donor funding.

2020-2021 Priorities


  • Institutionalization of AFSeN-A (SUN) Technical Secretariat into the Government Structure

  • Sign MoU between government and UN Agencies to secure technical and financial support for the AFSeN-A Technical Secretariat

  • Establish a Parliamentary Caucus for nutrition

  • Fill the Nutrient Gap (FNG)

  • Humanitarian Development Nexus

  • Development a common multistakeholder implementation plan

  • Global Action Plan for Wasting in Afghanistan

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