With millions of Afghans living in informal settlements in fragile shelters and aligned with the new priorities for the agency globally, UN-Habitat Afghanistan has introduced its strategic priorities to tackle the country’s growing urban challenges for 2026 and 2027.The UN-Habitat Assembly concluded with the adoption of the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan for 2026–2029 — a global blueprint to ensure access to adequate housing, land, and basic services for all.Through access to housing, land and basic services, UN-Habitat, at global level, aims to have an impact on three major global challenges:Equitable and inclusive prosperity for poverty eradicationPreparedness, response, recovery and reconstructionEnvironment and climate actionThe adoption of this strategy comes at a crucial moment for Afghanistan. Today, more than 9 million people live in informal settlements, often in fragile shelters without adequate water, sanitation, or tenure rights. At the same time, Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s largest returnee crises, with millions forcibly returned from Pakistan and Iran since September 2023. Most returnees settle in already overstretched informal areas, which increases the pressure on existing services and livelihood opportunities.Due to returns, but also climate-change induced displacement, urban growth is accelerating in the country. Four out of every five urban residents in Afghanistan live in informal settlements, and the country’s urban population—currently around 30 per cent—is projected to reach 50 per cent by 2060. Without coordinated action, this rapid population growth will lead to a massive spatial expansion of built-up areas, much of it informal and severely underserviced. If no action is taken now, this development will deepen existing inequalities and increase vulnerability to climate shocks, disasters, and health risks.In this context, UN-Habitat’s new strategic priorities for Afghanistan are timely and critical. By focusing on enabling adequate housing situations, livelihood opportunities, environmental action, and strengthening urban resilience, UN-Habitat aims to turn today’s challenges into opportunities for the people of Afghanistan - for a more inclusive, safe and better-planned future. The strategy, driven by UN-Habitat's global strategic plan and the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan (UNSFA), will be the country office roadmap for the next 2 years to focus on below priorities:Protecting the Most Vulnerable: Enhancing access to dignified living conditions and livelihood opportunities, especially in unplanned and underserviced settlements.Improving Resilience: Strengthening preparedness, emergency response, recovery, and long-term reconstruction.Advancing Climate and Environmental Action: Promoting green infrastructure and resilient urban planning to protect lives, livelihoods, and assets.Stephanie Loose, UN-Habitat’s Country Programme Manager in Afghanistan, emphasized the urgency of the plan:“Millions of people in Afghanistan live in informal settlements without or with very limited access to basic services, shelter, or hygiene,” she said.  “This strategic paper is a critical tool that guides our efforts to respond to these challenges. It enables us to continue making a real impact in Afghan communities—ensuring no one is left behind.”UN-Habitat Afghanistan will use this roadmap to strengthen partnerships, scale up interventions, and support Afghan communities in building safer, healthier, and more sustainable urban environments. 

In the hills of Laghman province, Anwar tends to his small herd of goats. Like many livestock owners in Afghanistan, he depends on them but keeping them healthy has become harder in recent years. “When my animals are safe, I can feed my family and send my children to school,” he said. For farmers like Anwar, livestock are more than just animals. Sheep and goats are the backbone of daily life in rural Afghanistan, providing nutritious milk, meat and income; and in tough times, they are often a family’s only safety net. But when animals fall sick, the effects ripple quickly through homes and communities.A serious threat to these small animals in Afghanistan is Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a fast-spreading viral disease that causes high mortality, weight loss, reduced fertility and sharp drops in milk production. First detected in Afghanistan in 1996, PPR continues to pose a significant risk to livestock owners, especially for women, who often manage livestock and depend on them to support their families.Years of drought, flash floods, extreme cold and the collapse of veterinary services have left Afghanistan’s herders increasingly vulnerable. Access to feed, water and animal care remains limited and diseases like PPR only deepen the strain on already fragile systems.In response, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with funding from the Asian Development Bank, led the largest PPR vaccination campaign ever conducted in Afghanistan. From November 2024 to May 2025, teams vaccinated nearly four million sheep and two million goats across all 34 provinces — reaching over 868 000 families and benefiting upwards of six million people. The campaign concluded just ahead of Eid al-Adha, when healthy livestock are particularly important. The success of the campaign was rooted in strong collaboration. Working alongside the Afghanistan Veterinary Association, local authorities, and over 1 000 private Veterinary Field Units, FAO helped to train veterinary workers, supplied tools and equipment and coordinated outreach across the country. Technicians managed a nationwide cold chain system to keep vaccines effective, and mobile veterinary teams traveled to remote and nomadic communities to ensure no farmer was left behind. Over 500 000 families received brochures that outline PPR prevention and basic livestock care information. “Last year, a herder here lost almost all of his flock to PPR," recounted Dr. Nisar Ahmad, a field veterinarian in Laghman. "This year, however, there have been no outbreaks where we vaccinated animals.”The vaccination campaign is estimated to have averted approximately USD 296 million in potential losses. It also contributes to broader efforts to protect the country’s 42 million livestock — including 13.8 million sheep, 7.6 million goats and 4.6 million cattle — a vital asset base for food production and rural economy.By controlling PPR within Afghanistan, this intervention also helps to prevent the disease from spreading beyond its borders, reducing the risk of regional outbreaks and the disruption they can cause to food systems, trade and livelihoods across borders.When animals stay healthy, people stay fed. In communities where livestock is a key source of food and income, an outbreak like PPR can quickly lead to empty plates and lost livelihoods. Targeted campaigns like this don’t just protect animals, they help families like Anwar’s get through the year and keep their children nourished, while preventing outbreaks that could spiral into crises. Stronger herds contribute to a healthier environment, reinforcing the critical link between animal, human and ecosystem health. Keeping livestock healthy is one of the most practical—and cost-effective— ways to support food security in Afghanistan. And for families who depend on their animals every single day, it’s one of the most urgent. From animal health services to irrigation rehabilitation to delivery of farming inputs, targeted and timely agricultural investments have helped farmers protect their livelihoods and keep food on the table. The gains made in reducing food insecurity across Afghanistan in recent years reflect what is possible when rural communities are equipped with the right support at the right time.  Building on this progress will require sustained investment in the agriculture sector, and a clear recognition that rural families are key to a more food-secure Afghanistan.

Dasht-e Barchi, a neighborhood in Kabul, hosts one of the city’s largest informal settlements—home to thousands of families living in fragile shelters, many in inadequate housing conditions, such as Khawar, a 66-year-old grandmother who is the head of a household of 12 people. For Khawar, life has never been easy nor merciful. After losing her husband in 2015, things took a turn for the worse for her —her daughter developed psychological disorders, and her son is unable to find work – making live a constant struggle to make ends meet.Despite these hardships, Khawar had one enduring wish. “I only wished for a safe and secure roof over my head,” she told UN-Habitat's community mobilisers. Pointing to her fragile shelter, she adds, “I was living in a life-or-death situation, always afraid the roof would tumble down on us.” “I was hopeless,” Khawar says. “Every winter, the roof leaked. We placed bottles to collect the dripping water, but my grandchildren still got sick.” Over the past three years, Khawar’s home became more and more dangerous. “I was afraid the roof would collapse on my grandchildren,” she explains. Despite her efforts to repair and stabilize the shelter with what little she had, it was never enough – while she refused to give up hope.  With support from the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, UN-Habitat launched “The Shelter Initiative” for people most at risk of natural disasters, displacement, and climate shocks. And Khawar’s family was one of 645 vulnerable households selected for shelter support in 2024.Afghanistan is currently witnessing a large influx of returnees forcibly expelled from neighboring countries such as Iran and Pakistan. Since 2023, over 3.4 million Afghans have returned home, with many more expected in the months to come .  Many of them are looking for opportunities – in cities and, due to their socio-economic situation, are settling in already densely populated, often unplanned, underserviced and informal neighborhoods.  The integration of additional populations puts enormous pressure on already overstretched services. But even with limited funding, targeted support like shelter repair is transforming lives—just like it did for Khawar.Through UN-Habitat’s shelter initiative, Khawar’s house—along many others—has been repaired and rebuilt – giving families in vulnerable situations a roof, a home and hope.She adds, “I never had such a home—neither in my father’s house nor in my husband’s. But now, at 66, my wish has come true. I live with my grandchildren in a safe shelter. Thanks to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund and UN-Habitat.”Alina, Khawar’s 9-year-old granddaughter, adds: “Every night, I used to worry that parts of the roof would fall on us while we were sleeping. But now we feel safe—from the rain, the snow, and we no longer have fear.” While the new shelter has brought Khawar and her family some stability, many challenges remain in place. Still, she hopes this home could mark the beginning of a longer journey towards improved life.Since 2022, UN-Habitat has repaired or built over 6,883 shelters across Afghanistan—directly helping more than 50,000 people, with women and girls being the major group.Stephanie Loose, UN-Habitat Afghanistan Country Programme Manager, underlines the importance of the agency’s impact and approaches: “Adequate shelter is a human right—not a privilege. Yet, thousands of Afghans live in inadequate housing with minimal access to basic services.” She adds, “The absence or inadequacy of shelter and proper housing solutions is a major issue in Afghanistan. People continue to endure enormous mental and physical pressures. We must do more all together to address these pressing needs – to enable people to live a dignified and self-sufficient life. It all starts with a home.”Since 1992, UN-Habitat has been a lead housing agency in the country, delivering large programs across Afghanistan. Building on three decades of success, UN-Habitat remains committed to continuing to support Afghan communities by all means.

Baghlan, Afghanistan – Over the past 2 weeks, local health workers in Baghlan Province have been walking through the streets, knocking on doors, speaking in mosques, visiting schools and gathering with people in markets and homes. Their goal – to help their communities protect themselves from potentially fatal diseases like Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), measles, acute watery diarrhoea and respiratory infections.The 30 trained social mobilizers – half of them women – who have taken to the streets of Baghlan to spread lifesaving health information as part of an awareness campaign launched by WHO are not outsiders. They are doctors, nurses, midwives and health workers from the same communities they serve. That is why people trust them.“Community mobilizers were trained not just on the diseases but on how to engage with people in ways that build trust,” says WHO’s Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Officer in Afghanistan Mohammad Modaser Islami. “We want communities to feel involved and empowered.”  In Pul-e-Khumri, the heart of the Province, one of the mobilizers chatted with a local butcher, a group especially at risk of catching CCHF.“He listened carefully as I explained how the disease spreads and how he can protect himself,” said the mobilizer. “It wasn’t just about handing him a leaflet. It was about making sure he truly understood.” At the nearby Women’s Handicrafts Centre, mobilizer Nazdana Hakimi led an awareness session.“We used simple language, spoke their dialect and made sure every woman left with knowledge she could take back to her family,” said Nazdana. “And we don’t just talk. We listen too.” Livestock markets, where animals and people come into close contact, are high-risk zones for diseases like CCHF. Haroon Samim, one of the male mobilizers, visited such a market in Baghlan-e-Jadid district.“As Eid-ul-Adha gets closer, animal trade increases and so does the risk of disease. I’m proud we are warning people in time. It can save lives,” he said. Mosques played a key role in the campaign. After Friday prayers in Pul-e-Khumri, mobilizer Samsoor Mohammadi stood before a crowd of men – fathers, grandfathers and youth – to deliver his important message.“This is a place where people listen,” he said. “And when they leave, they take the message with them.” Schools were another important venue for the campaign. At one school, dozens of students gathered outside in the sun to listen to a young mobilizer, Raofullah Safi. “These students will go home and talk to their families. That’s how awareness spreads,” said Raofullah. In a small village, a group of women sat close together as female mobilizer Mursal Saeed spoke to them. “When women understand they protect their children, their husbands and even their neighbours,” said Mursal. “They become health champions.” WHO Representative in Afghanistan Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador reflected on the campaign’s impact.“Health does not only happen in clinics and hospitals. It happens in homes, schools and markets. What we saw in Baghlan is the power of people helping each other. When communities are trusted, respected and included they become the strongest part of the health system. I am proud of our team and grateful to the people of Baghlan for showing us what true community leadership looks like.”WHO Afghanistan extends its thanks to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund for its generous support which helped us reach the most at-risk communities with lifesaving health services and information. Together with our donors and partners, we are building healthier and stronger communities, one conversation at a time. For more information, please contact:Mariam Amiry, RCCE Officer WHO – Kabul, Afghanistan, amirym@who.int