28 March 2022, Kabul Afghanistan

UNDP, with a consortium of six partners- Aga Khan Foundation, CARE, Danish Refugee Council, Islamic Relief, Norwegian Church Aid, and Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, signed a partnership of USD 64M to support up to 2.7 million Afghans in need. Half of the direct beneficiaries are women. 

Afghanistan is undergoing an unprecedented political, economic, and basic needs crisis. Without swift and colossal investments, the achievements of the past two decades, the momentums and livelihoods will be lost.

With the consortium of six partners, UNDP will undertake a community-level, bottom-up approach under the ABADEI programme to help bolster the economy and keep local markets afloat. The investments and expertise UNDP and partners share are expected to root and flourish across 26 provinces out of 34 in Afghanistan. 

UNDP and partners will collectively provide close support to:

• 394,000 individuals with much-needed cash for work and 176,500 vulnerable individuals such as the elderly and people with disability, with unconditional cash to support their daily living expenses
• 178 irrigation schemes will be rehabilitated, allowing better management of natural resources and therefore yield more sustainable, climate-crisis resistant produce, and 58 infrastructure projects to support 26,000 individuals, directly
• Support a total of 1,555 women-owned enterprises with training, marketing, product enhancement, and cash support, 110 hectares of land forested, 1,200 youths with livestock provided with rearing kits, 466 farmers of all genders to receive greenhouses and gardening kits  
• A total of 576 handwashing stations and 36 sanitation facilities installed in health centres, 9,500 COVID-19 kits provided in hospitals and schools, 24 Basic Package of Health Services, and four provincial hospitals supported with enhanced technical and medicinal resources. 
• 2,600 children of all genders participate in disaster risk reduction awareness, 1,000 girls on menstrual hygiene management, 30 community-based schools, constructed with shelters, and 4,500 out of school children supported to return 
• 54 health centers and 36 schools to receive solar power lighting, five mini-grids established, 24 hospitals benefitting from a solar power system, 15,000 individuals supported with the decentralized deployed energy system
• 212 Health facilities and more than 968 community Health posts to provide malaria treatment services
• 1,600 trained on rights of women, girls, and people with disabilities, 7,500 individuals trained on conflict mitigation, 400,000 individuals receive explosive ordnance risk education sessions, and 180 community dialogues conducted

These substantial projects, spanning a broad spectrum of cash for work, unconditional cash transfer, rehabilitation of infrastructure, supporting women enterprise and the private sector, agriculture, water, health, education, energy, and social cohesion, is under the giant umbrella of ABADEI. This UNDP crisis response initiative for Afghanistan aims to provide the most vulnerable Afghans with the means to survive and contribute to their community.

Resident Representative Abdallah AlDardari said, “UNDP has more than 50 years of experience in economic revival and supporting fragile livelihoods. The six partners have been meticulously selected on their expertise, access to the most vulnerable areas, and confidence to make a long-lasting, real investment and impact. But this is just the beginning. We aim to reach 8 million people in a year with the US $ 667.4 M under ABADEI. This is a significant moment to our flagship project, but we still have so much more to do.”

More information about UNDP’s ‘ABADEI’ initiative is available here: 

• https://www.undp.org/press-releases/new-un-development-programme-emergency-initiative-support-afghan-people-need 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3TjYGizVP0

Listening to women entrepreneurs & civil society in #Afghanistan has been deeply moving. They will not give up on the dream of a better future.

This is a call to action for all of us, and this is why @UNDP & @unafghanistan have chosen to #StayandDeliver: https://t.co/N0G5pFfGYH pic.twitter.com/HUldTtjKCu

— Achim Steiner (@ASteiner) March 30, 2022

UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working in Afghanistan for more than 50 years on challenges related to climate change and resilience, gender, governance, health, livelihoods, and the rule of law. 

Aga Khan Foundation
Established in 1967, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) brings together human, financial, and technical resources to address the challenges faced by the world's poorest and most marginalized communities. Particular emphasis is placed on investing in human potential, expanding opportunity, and improving the overall quality of life.

CARE
CARE International is a global confederation of 16 members and four candidates and one affiliate organization working together to end poverty. In 2020, CARE worked in 104 countries worldwide, implementing 1,349 poverty-fighting development and humanitarian aid projects. We reached more than 92.3 million people directly and 433.4 million people indirectly.

Danish Refugee Council
Danish Refugee Council is a leading international humanitarian displacement organization, supporting refugees and internally displaced persons during displacement, in exile, when settling and integrating into a new place, or upon return. We provide protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance. We support displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included in hosting societies - and we work with communities, civil society, and responsible authorities to promote the protection of rights and peaceful coexistence.

Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) has worked in Afghanistan since 1999, supporting livelihoods, healthcare, and education in the most vulnerable communities across the country. IRW provides both emergency aid and long-term development. 

Norwegian Church Aid
Norwegian Church Aid works with people and organizations worldwide in their struggle to eradicate poverty and injustice. We help those whose greatest needs, regardless of ethnicity, creed, political or religious affiliation.

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan has worked in Afghanistan for more than thirty-nine years. We will continue to do so even now. We have more than 6,000 employees working in different parts of the country.

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For media inquiries:
UNDP Afghanistan, 
Communications team, 
email: communication.af@undp.org