Between May 4th-12th, 2021 the International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted a drought needs assessment in the provinces of Herat, Badghis, Pakitya, Helmand and Khost to get a clear understanding of the impact of the situation caused by the extreme weather conditions that have affected different parts of the world, including Afghanistan. A sample from 484 community members across the five provinces show that water resources are becoming increasingly scarce as result of slow onset drought conditions, with reported cases of increased conflict over water in various communities. Pastoralists have started experiencing loss of livestock and strain on pastoral livelihoods and this will worsen as food prices increase; it has already been reported that some households have not been able meet their food needs. Key findings include: -83% of 484 people interviewed are already experiencing displacement within their communities -75% respondents reported an increase in conflict arising in areas where water supplies have depleted -81% of participants with children under the age of 5 reported diarrhea and illness owing to a lack of clean water -Interviewees said that some families are being pushed towards extreme survival measures  such as selling off their assets,livestocks reducing the number of meals, and child marriage To prevent large-scale displacement, early response is required to support households faced with challenges of food security and livelihoods in form of cash-based assistance or food distributions. Livelihood support should also be prioritised to protect household assets including provision of livestock fodder and veterinary service. This drought assessment report did not include the other major humanitarian factors such as COVID-19, food security situation and conflict, which impact the lives of the Afghans as a whole.

In Afghanistan, state failure and economic collapse are now the primary drivers of a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding at breakneck speed. Unemployment and poverty are now the greatest drivers of internal displacement. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been providing assistance in Afghanistan for three decades, working today in 11 provinces. We see firsthand that while humanitarian aid saves lives, it cannot replace a functioning economy and state. To date, the US and other Western governments have focused on providing humanitarian funding based on a famine prevention strategy, putting in place important humanitarian exemptions and offering much-needed clarity on sanctions regimes at the bilateral and multilateral levels. These steps helped avert the immediate threat of famine this past winter and have led to marginally improved food security projections over the coming months. The carveouts and clarity enabled agencies like the IRC to scale up lifesaving humanitarian assistance across Afghanistan, including districts that had long been inaccessible to humanitarian agencies. However, the crisis in Afghanistan is evolving into a catastrophe of choice as these same governments maintain policies of economic isolation that are pushing the Afghan economy to the brink and causing nearly 19m Afghans to experience high levels of acute food insecurity in the coming months. Access to Afghanistan’s foreign reserves remain frozen, the banking system grounded, and development assistance, which financed most government services, on pause. The impact has been swift and catastrophic for ordinary Afghans, compounding an already dire economic and humanitarian situation. The international community can and should do much more to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of innocent Afghans, with action on the economy urgently needed. Recommendations for immediate actions to support public service delivery and the humanitarian response, as well as steps needed towards international engagement in support of the Afghan economy, are included in this report.

This scoping study was initiated by the International Rescue Committee with funding from the World Bank Global Shield Financing Facility and analytical support from Lion’s Head Global Partnersexplores. It explores how disaster risk financing (DRF) and climate finance can support more resilient education systems in low- and middle-income countries. It highlights how natural hazards-such as floods, earthquakes, and cyclones-threaten educational infrastructure and learning outcomes. Despite growing global DRF and climate finance mechanisms, education remains underfunded and poorly integrated. The paper presents models and case studies demonstrating how DRF tools can protect education access, planning, and recovery, and offers practical recommendations to align finance and education systems for better shock-responsiveness and resilience.