1. CRISIS BRIEFING: 12 OCTOBER 2015
Humanitarian funding analysis: Afghanistan, Kunduz
1. Key points
 According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s Financial
Tracking Service (FTS), donors have committed/contributed US$281 million of
humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan so far in 2015.
 The UN-coordinated emergency response plan for Afghanistan requests US$417 million
from donors. According to the FTS, the appeal is currently 49% funded. A further US$78
million has been contributed outside of the appeal to Afghanistan.
 The United States (US) is the largest donor in 2015, having contributed US$93 million so
far, more than 33% of total funding to date.
 So far in 2015, Afghanistan has been allocated US$7.9 million by the Central Emergency
Response Fund (CERF), making it the 18thlargest recipient this year.
 In 2015 so far, US$24.7 million has been allocated from the Common Humanitarian Fund
in Afghanistan.
2. Recent humanitarian funding to Afghanistan
Donors have committed/contributed US$281 million of humanitarian assistance to
Afghanistan so far in 2015.
The US is the largest donor in 2015, having contributed US$93 million so far, followed by the
European Commission with US$30.9 million and Japan with US$28.8 million. Combined, these
three donors have contributed more half of all humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan (54%).
According to analysis of FTS project descriptions, an estimated US$17.1 million has been
reported as contributions in response to internal displacement so far in 2015, though the
actual figure is likely to be higher. Similarly, approximately US$6 million has been marked in
2015 as specifically targeting the affected regions of Badakstan, Balkh, Kabul, Kunduz and
Takhar – though more funding that is not reported as region-specific may also be directed to
these areas.
i
Figure 1: 10 largest donors to Afghanistan, 2015
Source: Development Initiatives based on UN OCHA FTS data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015.
Note: EU refers to EU institutions, including but not limited to the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil
Protection department (ECHO); US: United States; UK: United Kingdom
3. Appeals and response plans
The UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan in 2015 requests
US$417 million from donors. The appeal is currently 49% funded at US$202.8 million. A further
US$78.3 million has been contributed outside of the appeal.
Funding to appeals for Afghanistan has fluctuated between 2011 and 2015 but overall there
has been a decline in the volume of appeal funding since 2013.
93.0
30.9 28.8
15.5
11.5 11.0 10.5 9.5 8.3 7.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
US$millions

2. 2 | Afghanistan, Kunduz
Figure 2: Funding within the UN-coordinated appeals for Afghanistan, 2011–2015
Source: Development Initiatives based on UN OCHA FTS data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015.
4. Funding to sectors 2015
The largest proportion of humanitarian funding to Afghanistan in 2015 so far has been
allocated to ‘sector not yet specified’ (389%; US$108.3 million), followed by health (25.4%;
US$71.3 million) and food (9.5%; US$26.6 million). The least-funded sectors are safety and
security (US$0.2 million), shelter and non-food items (US$1.3 million), education
(US$3.8 million), mine action (US$5.5 million), and multi-sector (US$6.2 million).
Figure 3: Humanitarian funding to Afghanistan 2015, by sector
Source: Development Initiatives based on UN OCHA FTS data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015.
Notes: If funding is given in an unearmarked manner and not yet allocated by the recipient agency to a particular
project and sector, the FTS shows the funding under the heading ‘sector not yet specified’. ‘Protection’ refers to
‘Protection/human rights/rule of law’.’Other’ includes: multi-sector, mine action, education, shelter and non-food
Items and safety and security.
Inside the appeal, the shelter, food security and agriculture, multi-sector and protection
clusters all have less than 30% of their requirements funded (0%, 29%, 7% and 17%,
respectively). The nutrition cluster is 35% funded; water and sanitation 46% funded; while
coordination and support services are overfunded by 16%.
422.8
223.8
348.6
311.4
202.8
159.5
224.7 125.8
95.0 213.9
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Afghanistan
2011
Afghanistan
2012
Afghanistan
2013
Afghanistan
2014
Afghanistan
2015
US$millions
Funding Unmet requirements
Sector not
yet
specified,
US$108.3m,
39%
Health,
US$71.3m,
25%
Food,
US$26.6m,
9%
Coordinatio
n and
support
services,
US$24m,
9%
Protection,
US$21.7m,
8%
Water and
sanitation,
US$12.3m,
4%
Other,
US$16.8m,
6%

3. 3 | Afghanistan, Kunduz
5. Pooled funding as part of the response
Pooled funding mechanisms have been deployed to address unforeseen or under-funded
needs. Afghanistan has been a frequent recipient of funds from the UN’s Central Emergency
Response Fund (CERF). OCHA Afghanistan established a country-based pooled fund in 2009
with the creation of a small emergency response fund (ERF). The ERF was superseded by a full
common humanitarian fund (CHF) in 2014.
i. Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
So far in 2015, Afghanistan has been allocated US$7.9 million by the CERF, making it the 18th
largest recipient so far this year. All of the allocations in 2015 for Afghanistan have been made
through the underfunded emergency window. The most recent allocation was a US$4 million
grant (50% of all CERF funding to Afghanistan this year) to the World Food Programme for food
assistance – approved on 30 September and disbursed on 7 October.
Figure 4: CERF allocation by sector to Afghanistan, 2015
Source: Development Initiatives based on CERF data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015. NFIs: non-food items
ii. Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF)
In 2015 so far, US$24.7 million has been allocated from the CHF in Afghanistan. The largest
contributions to the Afghanistan CHF in 2015 have come from the UK (US$9.3 million), Sweden
(US$9 million) and Australia (US$6.1 million).
Figure 5: Disbursements from pooled funds to Afghanistan, 2011-2015
Source: Development Initiatives based on UN OCHA FTS data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015.
Note: Data on Afghanistan's CERF, Emergency Response Fund and CHF is taken from UN OCHA's FTS and therefore
reflects actual disbursements from pooled funds rather than allocations by the CERF to Afghanistan or by the
Afghanistan CHF. The Emergency Response Fund (ERF) was superseded by a full common humanitarian fund (CHF) in
2014.
iii. Multi-donor trust funds
Donors have used multi-donor trust funds extensively in Afghanistan to fund development
objectives. These include:ii
1. The Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF): In 2014, contributions amounted to
US$865.3 million.
2. The Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA): In 2014, donors contributed
US$580.1 million.
Food,
US$4m,
50%
Health,
US$1m,
12%
Multi-
sector,
US$2.7m
34%
Shelter
and NFIs,
US$0.3m
4%
-
9.5
17.0
4.0 8.0
3.6
3.0
9.1
4.7 -
-
-
35.3
24.7
0
10
20
30
40
50
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
US$millions
Central Emergency Response Fund Emergency Response Fund (OCHA)
Common Humanitarian Fund

4. 4 | Afghanistan, Kunduz
3. The Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund (PRTF): 2014 contributions totalled US$29.3
million.
6. Funding channels
So far in 2015, 71% (US$200.6 million) of funding has been disbursed via UN Agencies, 16%
(US$44.5 million) through NGOs, and 11% (US$32 million) via the Red Cross/Red Crescent
movement (RCRC).
Figure 6: Funding by delivery channel to Afghanistan, 2015
Source: Development Initiatives based on UN OCHA FTS data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015. NGOs: non-
governmental organisations; RCRC: Red Cross Red Crescent.
7. Historic funding trends
International humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan has decreased overall in the past five
years – from US$894 million in 2011 to US$281 million so far in 2015.
Figure 7: Humanitarian funding to Afghanistan 2011–2015
Source: Development Initiatives based on UN OCHA FTS data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015.
8. Largest donors, 2011–2015
The largest donors over the 2011–2015 period are the US (US$844 million), followed by Japan
(US$407.5 million), the EU Institutions (US$206.9 million), Canada (US$129.2 million) and the
UK (US$114.2 million). The largest five donors account for 63% of all humanitarian assistance
to Afghanistan between 2011 and 2015, while the largest ten account for over 80% of all
funding within the same period.
Government
, US$2.4m,
0.8%
NGOs,
US$44.5m,
15.8%
Other,
US$0.4m,
0.2%
Private Orgs.
&
Foundations,
US$1.1m,
0.4%
RCRC,
US$32m,
11.4%
UN
Agencies,
US$200.6m,
71.4%
894.3
514.7 528.1
474.0
281.1
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
US$millions

5. 5 | Afghanistan, Kunduz
Figure 8: 10 largest donors to Afghanistan, 2011–2015
Source: Development Initiatives based on UN OCHA FTS data. Data downloaded 9 October 2015.
Notes: EU Institutions refers to funding from ECHO, Europe Aid and the European Commission. If the analysis included
the category of ‘Carry-over – donors not specified’, this would be the fourth largest ‘donor’ with contributions of
US$173 million.
Data is correct at time of writing and subject to change. For up-to-date figures on the humanitarian
response to Afghanistan and other crises see UN OCHA’s FTS:
fts.unocha.org/pageloader.aspx?page=home
Authors: Luminiṭa Ṭuchel and Lylaa Shaikh
Contact: gha@devinit.org
Web: www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org
i
Project descriptions reported to the FTS were used to extract funding to displacement and to
the affected regions. More funding to internal displacement or to either region may have been
allocated in project descriptions where no detail is specified.
ii
www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/11/GHA_Afganistan2014_.pdf844.0
407.5
206.9
129.2
114.2
103.3
102.9
97.2
91.6
66.7
0 200 400 600 800 1,000
US
Japan
EU
Canada
UK
Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Germany
Australia
US$ million