ISLAMABAD: Unicef on Fri­day launched an appeal for $140.9 million to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in Pakistan including Afghan refugees.

This includes $41.6m for the nutrition emergency; $59.8m for potential humanitarian respo­nses; $34.5m for refugee and host community support; and $5m for disaster risk reduction, preparedness and resilience-building.

In a report, it said that Pakistan hosts more than three million Afghans, 49 per cent of them children, of varying legal status, who require access to basic services, further constraining limited available resources.

The people in Pakistan face multidimensional deprivations that leave them extremely vulnerable to recurrent and sudden-onset shocks. Climate change contributes to Pakistan being one of the world’s most risk-prone countries, which significantly exacerbates vulnerabilities, especially for women and children.

Seasonal changes disrupt food security, causing malnutrition and stunted growth, especially in marginalized communities. Flo­ods displace families, destroy homes, schools and health facilities and impede access to safe water and sanitation, increasing disease risks.

The interplay of all these circumstances threatens children’s well-being and their future prospects and necessitates greater inv­es­tment in gender-equitable climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and increased resilience of essential social services.

The catastrophic floods of 2022, which affected 33m people (half of them children), provided clear evidence of the need for investing in solutions that reduce the impact of disasters, focusing on vulnerability and inequality and investing in climate change adaptation efforts that reduce disruptions to the country and its children’s growth and development.

Pakistan also grapples with severe food insecurity and persistently high global acute malnutrition rates. About 16pc population is food insecure and lacks access to essential services, including health care and nutrition, further exacerbating nutritional challenges. Children, in particular, are extremely vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition, which can result in stunted growth, developmental issues and a weakened immune system.

Pakistan’s global acute malnutrition rate stands at 17.7pc, of which 16pc exceeds the emergency threshold. The severe wasting rate is 6pc, and notably higher in children aged between six and 59 months. The nutrition of women and girls is of particular concern, as high rates of malnutrition put them at risk and also negatively affect birth outcomes. If urgent action is not taken to address this protracted nutrition emergency, the under-five mortality rate could rise.

The presence and prolonged stay of Afghan populations, who have been in Pakistan for more than four decades, adds an additional load to an already overburdened system. The continued uncertainty around government efforts to repatriate undocumented Afghans, and potentially Afghans of other legal status, have created increased uncertainty among Afghan populations. Afghan women and girls are especially vulnerable under these conditions.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2024