The United Nations is sounding the alarm over Afghanistan’s future, with Georgette Gagnon, the UN’s Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, warning of a “lost generation of talent and potential.” During her visits as head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Gagnon observed the escalating difficulties faced by the Afghan people.
While the de facto authorities have consolidated territorial and administrative control, Gagnon cautioned that this apparent stability masks deeper risks. “There is an increasing control by the de facto authorities, without a clear end state,” she stated, highlighting demographic and economic pressures as major concerns. With approximately 5.9 million Afghans having returned since 2023 and an estimated 2.8 million more expected this year, the situation is exacerbated by limited opportunities and strained communities.
Afghanistan continues to grapple with one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with projections indicating that 21.9 million people will require assistance in 2026.
Women and Girls Face Mounting Obstacles
Gagnon expressed concern over the long-term consequences of “severe and growing restrictions” on women and girls. She reported that approximately 3.8 million girls between the ages of seven and 18 are out of school. An estimated 250,000 girls are permanently excluded from secondary education each year, contributing to the creation of a “lost generation of talent and potential.” The increasing restrictions are detrimental to Afghanistan’s economy and weaken sectors such as health and education. Gagnon reiterated calls for authorities to reverse restrictions impacting Afghan women, including their exclusion from UN facilities.
‘Half the Country Needs Assistance’
Edem Wosornu, Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s Crisis Response Division, noted that pressures from conflict, hunger, climate shocks, and underfunding continue to worsen humanitarian conditions. “Afghanistan remains one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises. Nearly half of the country needs assistance,” Wosornu stated, adding that recent clashes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border displaced over 100,000 people, leaving vulnerable communities without aid for weeks.
Hunger is on the rise in Afghanistan, with 4.7 million people facing severe food insecurity—a 50% increase from last year—and 3.7 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. Wosornu also mentioned that some families resort to desperate measures, such as selling their daughters, to survive, and that restrictions on women undermine humanitarian operations.
‘Institutionalized Oppression’
Metra Mehran, a civil society representative and founder of the Afghanistan Justice Archive, described an institutionalized system of gender oppression in Afghanistan. “Since August 2021, the Taliban have issued over 230 decrees,” Mehran said, asserting that the authorities systematically strip women and girls of fundamental rights, including education, employment, movement, and public participation. “The Taliban has criminalized even the voice and face of women,” she added, pointing to the recently enacted Penal Code that legalizes violence against women. Mehran stated, “Men are effectively the owners of their wives,” warning that women who resist restrictions face arrest, violence, and intimidation. She emphasized that states and international institutions have legal obligations under international law to act now. “This is not just our fight,” Mehran concluded, “this is a test of our global system. It’s a test of multilateralism. And it’s a test of whether the principles so often repeated in these halls actually mean anything in practice.”
Gagnon from UNAMA stressed the necessity of continued engagement, despite limited progress. “Continuous and uninterrupted dialogue, coupled with principled and pragmatic engagement, is essential, regardless of whether progress is made,” she stated.
