[{"bbox": [146, 152, 1083, 354], "category": "Text", "text": "The UN estimates that 97% of the population could be living under the poverty line by mid-2022, with 24 million requiring humanitarian assistance by end of this year. Afghanistan continues to face the negative health and socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, the severe effects of climate change – including a drought that is taking a toll on food supplies –, over 5 million people displaced, and frozen external aid and investments. With around 50% of the population facing emergency levels of food insecurity, which could increase again at the end of the harvest season, Afghanistan has become the largest humanitarian crisis."}, {"bbox": [144, 367, 1083, 540], "category": "Text", "text": "Meanwhile, after a period of engagement with the international community, the Taliban *de facto* authorities (DFA) have become more conservative, restricting rights for women and girls and insisting on increased control over aid related activities. Women also face long-term sociocultural factors that restrict their access to education, work, and social services, such as health and justice. Attempts to leverage aid funding in discussions have failed to produce tangible results."}, {"bbox": [146, 554, 1083, 698], "category": "Text", "text": "Any further destabilisation of the country or further deterioration of already extremely challenging living conditions would have major consequences in the region and beyond, including in terms of security and displacement of persons inside and across Afghanistan borders. In this context, displacements are dangerous and most people leaving Afghanistan are men and boys. The girls and women that remain, live in precarious situations."}, {"bbox": [146, 711, 1083, 825], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU and its Member States have an interest to ensure a ‘Team Europe’ approach encompassing on the one hand humanitarian, and on the other basic needs assistance that helps to strike the balance, while considering longer-term solutions if and where within the legal and political constraints."}, {"bbox": [146, 848, 370, 874], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## Health and nutrition"}, {"bbox": [146, 883, 1083, 1083], "category": "Text", "text": "International assistance to Afghanistan has contributed to rapid improvements in health outcomes over the past two decades. For example, maternal mortality dropped by 60% and child mortality by 57%. Life expectancy at birth has increased from 56 years in 2000 to 65.6 years in 2022. Over the same period, the number of functioning health facilities increased five-fold and the proportion of health facilities with a female health care provider to almost 87%. The advancements varied, however, from district to district subject to geographical accessibility and conflict dynamics."}, {"bbox": [146, 1097, 1083, 1353], "category": "Text", "text": "However, progress has stalled in recent years due to a deteriorating security situation, the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis. Afghanistan's health indicators are still among the worst in the region in terms of mortality rate, access to health facilities, shortages in medical staff in general and female staff in particular in a context were male healthcare workers cannot provide key services to women because of social, culture and gender norms.² Prolonged conflict and insecurity have resulted in exceptionally high levels of mental health disorders registered for both adults and children, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm and suicide. About 64.7% of Afghans have experienced at least one traumatic event in their life."}, {"bbox": [146, 1442, 1083, 1587], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² The maternal mortality rate is estimated as 620 per 100,000 live births, the infant mortality rate 46.0 per 1,000 live births and the under-five mortality rate 60.3 per 1,000 live births. Around 10% of population (mainly living in rural areas and internally displaced persons' (IDPs') camps) have no access to health services within 2 hours and 43% must travel more than half an hour. Access to the Basic Package of Health Services is accessible to around 80% of population. Shortages of female medical staff (currently 30% of healthcare workers in the country are female) has always been an issue, especially in rural area."}, {"bbox": [1069, 1642, 1083, 1663], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "6"}]