In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the humanitarian crises are twofold: on the one hand, the ‘Afghan’ crisis affects not only Afghanistan but also Iran and Pakistan, where almost four million Afghan refugees are still living; on the other hand, Pakistan is affected by a twinfaceted crisis with still more than 1.2 million people displaced by the conflict and almost 20 million affected by major flooding as from July 2010. In Afghanistan the deterioration in security and the consequences of extensive military operations, aggravated by years of drought, increasing flooding and recurrent smallscale disasters such as earthquakes, caused a sharp increase in humanitarian needs in 2010 which is likely to continue this year with more than 335 000 IDPs. In Pakistan, during the summer of 2010, an area of the country stretching from the Chinese border in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south was hit by the worst floods in living memory, leaving millions of people in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Both countries are very prone to natural disasters. [...] The main groups with substantial humanitarian needs in 2010 were the over 335 000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Afghanistan affected by the conflict, as well as refugees returning from Pakistan and Iran. Host communities receiving these returnees are also beneficiaries of the programmes. The highly food-insecure population affected by recurrent natural disasters, including many years of drought and the recent severe flooding in the north and east, have been benefiting from assistance too. The needs of the returnees and IDPs included protection, transport and resettlement support, plus food, shelter, and water/sanitation for the most vulnerable such as female-headed households. [...] Under its 2010 Global Plan, the EU provided funding totalling € 36 million, including € 25.4 million in support for refugees and returnees, covering registration and transportation of refugees from Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan, support for reintegration plus aid for the most vulnerable of the remaining refugees in both countries. Protection assistance was provided, among others through the UNHCR and the ICRC in line with their respective protection mandates. Shelter, together with water/sanitation, was the other most important area of activity within Afghanistan.