Afghanistan: Top UN delegation tells Taliban to end confinement, deprivation, abuse of women’s rights

Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, the Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, and the Assistant Secretary-General for UN political, peacebuilding and peace operations, Khaled Khiari, spend four days …

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Press release following UN Deputy Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director’s visit to Afghanistan

High-level UN delegation led by the Deputy Secretary-General calls on Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban authorities to reverse course on recent decrees limiting women’s and girls’ …

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Statement: The decree barring women in Afghanistan from working in non-governmental organisations is yet another stark violation of women’s rights

Statement by UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous on the Taliban prohibition of women working with national and international non-governmental organisations. Updated Once again, the …

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Displaced Yet Resilient: Hardship and Joy in an Afghan Refugee Camp in Peshawar

Marjan*, a 27-year-old Afghan single mother, goes to young bride’s houses in the Afghan refugee community in the Khazana Camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, to help …

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No peace without women: Afghan activists on why women’s representation matters

The Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August 2021 erased years of hard-won progress towards national peace and security. In the year since, the regime …

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Women in Afghanistan one year after the Taliban takeover

One year ago, on 15 August 2021, the Taliban entered Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul and took control of the country. Over the past 12 months, human …

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Statement: ‘Meticulously constructed policies of inequality’ – Afghanistan one year on

Statement on Afghanistan by Ms. Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, 15 August 2022 In the year that has passed since the …

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In the words of Mahbouba Seraj: “We are the hope, we are the power keeping Afghanistan together”.

My name is Mahbouba Seraj. I am 74 years old. I am an activist and women’s rights defender and I live in Afghanistan. A historian …

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In the words of Najiba*: “Women need women to support each other”.

Najiba*, 45, is a mother, former university lecturer and counsellor who helps women heal from trauma in Afghanistan. Despite threats and restrictions on her freedom …

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In the words of Zarina*: “I am heartbroken, but hopeful”.

Zarina*, 28, is a young Afghan woman entrepreneur. Her drive for innovating and passion for baking made her one of Afghanistan’s youngest entrepreneurs. Her business …

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In the words of Nasima*: “I realised Afghan women were still fighting. And I chose to be one of them”.

Nasima*, 36, is a peacebuilder and a women’s rights activists. She has been living in Afghanistan all her life. After 15 August 2021, she continued …

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Press briefing: The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan

Statement by Ms. Alison Davidian, Country Representative a.i. for UN Women in Afghanistan, on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, during the daily …

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UN Women Australia Statement on the Situation in Ukraine

UN Women shares the UN Secretary-General’s concern for the safety and well-being of all those who have suffered and continue to suffer in the developing …

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Expert’s take: Gender equality is critical for Afghanistan’s future, long-term development, and sustained peace

On 15 August 2021, the Taliban entered Kabul and took the city, and we knew from that moment that life for women and girls in …

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Statement by UN Women on the situation in Afghanistan

In line with the statement by the UN Secretary-General, UN Women remains fully committed to support women and girls in Afghanistan. We will remain operational and engaged …

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