UN Urges Support for Afghan Women as Taliban Marks 5 Years in Power
Chris Hamill-Stewart
The UN warns that over half of women's organizations in Afghanistan could shut down within a year due to funding shortfalls, as the Taliban marks five years in power. UN Women's representative urges donors not to cut aid, emphasizing the worsening situation for Afghan women under more than 100 restrictive decrees.
Exactly five years after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, the United Nations has warned that more than half of the country's women-focused organizations may be forced to shut down within the next year due to a lack of funding.
Susan Ferguson, the UN Women country representative in Afghanistan, called on donor nations not to cut aid for programs supporting women, cautioning that such reductions would only worsen the plight of Afghan women.
According to Ferguson, of the 74 women's organizations surveyed in April, more than half are likely to suspend or close operations in the coming year due to financial constraints. The UN's humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan, totaling $1.7 billion, has so far received only 25% of the required funding. Nearly three-quarters of these organizations faced budget cuts in 2025, and about two-thirds reported having enough funds for six months or less of operations.
The UN's call comes as the Taliban celebrates the fifth anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which handed power back to the group in August 2021 after two decades of war. This week, the white flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been displayed across the capital Kabul, alongside new murals reading “Independence is a sign of dignity, pride, and identity.” The Taliban also held a cricket match as part of the festivities, but women and girls remain barred from attending, as with most public events.
Ferguson noted that since returning to power, the Taliban has issued more than 100 decrees restricting women's rights, affecting nearly every aspect of their daily lives—from education and employment to freedom of movement, healthcare, and access to justice. Despite repeated promises to find ways for girls to attend school in accordance with religious regulations, the Taliban continues to ban girls from secondary education and women from university.
A UN Women survey of over 3,200 women found that more than half now leave their homes only once or twice a month. Seven in ten women describe their mental health as poor or very poor. On Friday, a group of 56 countries—including the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Lebanon, the US, and the UAE—issued a joint statement at the UN urging the Taliban to reverse restrictions on women and girls, calling the “systematic oppression” a “defining feature of the current regime.”
Beyond women's issues, Afghan society faces other major challenges after five years of Taliban rule. According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), more than half of primary school-age children are not attending school, and child malnutrition has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan's provinces. The country's infrastructure has also been severely damaged by a series of deadly earthquakes and floods.
Although terrorist-related deaths have dropped sharply since the Taliban took power, according to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal, Afghanistan remains embroiled in deadly border clashes with neighbors like Iran and Pakistan. The nation is also diplomatically isolated, with Russia being the only country in the world to formally recognize the Taliban regime.
