Afghan Women's Groups Face Collapse Within a Year, UN Warns

A stark new assessment from UN Women reveals

A stark new assessment from UN Women reveals that over half of the women-led organizations currently active in Afghanistan are at imminent risk of shutting down within the next twelve months. The warning comes five years after the Taliban's takeover, which has systematically restricted women's rights and their participation in public life.

The analysis highlights a severe funding crisis compounded by the ongoing humanitarian emergency and the regime's institutionalized gender discrimination. Many of these groups, which provide essential services like shelter, legal aid, and vocational training, are operating on the brink, with many already reducing their activities or facing closure.

UN Women officials emphasize that the collapse of these organizations would be a devastating blow to Afghan women and girls, who have been largely excluded from education, employment, and public spaces since the Taliban returned to power. The loss of these civil society actors would not only deprive vulnerable populations of critical support but also silence one of the few remaining voices advocating for women's rights.

The call to action is urgent: international donors

The call to action is urgent: international donors must step up with flexible, sustained funding that reaches grassroots women's organizations directly. Without immediate and substantial support, the infrastructure for women's survival in Afghanistan will further erode, with consequences that will reverberate for generations.

As the fifth anniversary of the Taliban rule approaches, the international community faces a moral and practical imperative to prevent the complete dismantling of women's civil society. The window to act is closing fast, and the price of inaction is measured in the lives and futures of Afghan women and girls.