Attachments
Background
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the country’s 21.4 million women and girls have faced a systematic erosion of their fundamental human rights, including social, economic, and political. Edicts imposed by the de facto authorities (DfA) in 2022 and 2023 barred women from public office, employment with NGOs and UN Agencies, as well as education beyond the sixth grade, and have challenged humanitarian operations in Afghanistan. In 2024, the DfA further expanded these edicts, relating to female participation, dress code, restrictions on women working at humanitarian delivery sites, and imposed salary reductions for female government employees. In August 2024, the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) promulgated the Morality Laws, which codify and expand existing discriminatory policies, such as mandatory dress codes and the requirement for women to have a male guardian (mahram), while also giving broad discretionary powers to inspectors from the PVPV to enforce these laws.
Within this environment, women and girls of Afghanistan face pressing humanitarian and protection needs, urgently requiring the sustained support of the international community.
Principled Delivery of Humanitarian Assistance
UNHCR remains committed to ‘Stay and Deliver’ principled humanitarian and basic needs’ response, prioritizing women and girls’ access to, and inclusion in, aid delivery. UNHCR has closely aligned itself with the One UN Approach and has worked closely with the UNCT at country level and the IASC in developing common strategies and a robust common response and advocacy for the inclusion of women in humanitarian staffing structures for effective humanitarian aid delivery by women for women and girls.
While temporary and localised exemptions have been provided by the DfA allowing women to return to work for humanitarian response purposes in some instances, these agreements remain precarious, and enforcement trends are erratic with variations across regions. To ensure that UNHCR can adapt within this dynamic context, the Agency continues to advocate for the inclusion of women to safeguard the uninterrupted delivery of services conducted in a principled way, by women for women and girls.
Overview of UNHCR’s Efforts in Reaching Women and Girls
Of the 23.7 million people projected to be in need in Afghanistan in 2024, 77% are women and children, requiring urgent protection and humanitarian assistance. To address their needs and ensure principled aid delivery, UNHCR has made it a strategic priority to ensure the inclusion of women and girls of all age groups in assessments, assistance and service delivery. Vulnerable women and girls, including women-headed households and women at risk are among the key groups prioritized for UNHCR assistance, with 54% of UNHCR’s direct assistance in 2024 reaching women and girls across 34 provinces of Afghanistan.