UN urges support for Afghan women’s aid five years into Taliban rule

What the report says

Five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the United Nations is warning that funding shortages could force more than half of the women’s organisations still operating in the country to shut down within the next year. The warning was voiced by Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s special representative in Afghanistan, who urged donor governments not to reduce support for women-focused programmes.

According to the Al Jazeera report, Ferguson said the concern is based on a survey of 74 women’s organisations conducted in April. She said many groups have already faced funding cuts in 2025, and a large share have less than six months of operating funds left. The UN’s humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan is also far from fully funded, leaving aid agencies worried about the future of services for women and girls.

The appeal comes as the Taliban marks the fifth anniversary of its return to Kabul in August 2021, following the withdrawal of US forces. Al Jazeera reported that the group has imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s rights, including limits on education, work and movement. Girls remain barred from secondary school and women from university. UN Women also said many Afghan women rarely leave home and report poor mental health.

The article places the funding warning within a broader crisis: widespread child malnutrition, school access problems, natural disaster damage and Afghanistan’s ongoing diplomatic isolation. A separate statement from 56 countries at the UN renewed calls for the Taliban to reverse its restrictions on women and girls.