The European Union Delegation has condemned human rights violations and gender discrimination in Afghanistan, calling on the caretaker authorities to unconditionally lift restrictions imposed on women and girls, particularly the ban on education beyond grade six. In a statement issued during the 225th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the EU said that the situation of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan has deteriorated further in recent years. The statement said that more than 2.2 million girls in Afghanistan are unable to attend school because of the ban on education beyond grade six. The EU stressed that, in addition to denying women and girls their right to education, these restrictions have reduced their participation in public and social life and limited their access to rights such as employment and freedom of movement. The EU welcomed UNESCO’s efforts to provide alternative educational opportunities for women and girls, but said such programs cannot replace formal, inclusive, high-quality education. The statement also noted that in 2025, the EU and UNESCO launched a joint initiative worth €4.7 million to strengthen women’s economic empowerment through skills training and community-based literacy programs. The EU reaffirmed its continued support for independent media, civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Afghanistan. It also said it supports initiatives related to freedom of expression, the safety of journalists and the protection of the country’s cultural heritage. The EU welcomed the extension of the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan through 2030 and underscored the UN’s role in addressing the situation in the country.

John Aylieff, the World Food Programme’s (WFP) director in Afghanistan, has warned that 19 million people—nearly 40 percent of the country’s population—will face acute hunger in the coming months. In an interview with the Associated Press, Aylieff said the number of people suffering from hunger had reached an unprecedented level. He stressed that severe malnutrition, which can be fatal if left untreated, is increasing at an alarming rate in Afghanistan. He said that in the coming year, nearly 5.3 million women and children in Afghanistan will need treatment for severe malnutrition—1.3 million more than in 2022. According to the Associated Press, the malnutrition ward at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, one of Afghanistan’s main centres for treating children, is operating at full capacity, with all 20 beds occupied. Aylieff emphasized that children are hit hardest by food shortages because their bodies are still growing and require more nutrients. The WFP warned that food shortages can put children at risk of severe malnutrition and death. The crisis is unfolding as Afghanistan’s economy continues to face serious challenges following the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces and the return of the caretaker government to power in 2021.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) have reported that, for the first time since the Multidimensional Poverty Index was launched in 2010, the number of people living in multidimensional poverty worldwide has risen, reaching 1.2 billion. In its 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index report, the UN examined poverty in 108 developing countries. According to the report, Afghanistan’s Multidimensional Poverty Index stands at 0.360. The estimate shows that 64.9 percent of Afghanistan’s population—about 26.3 million people—face multiple deprivations in areas including education, health, and living standards. According to the data, education contributes the most to multidimensional poverty in Afghanistan, followed by living standards and health. Limited access to basic amenities is also a factor affecting households’ circumstances. Globally, the 2026 report also shows that more than half of people living in multidimensional poverty are children, and 83 percent live in rural areas. The report further states that, of the 89 countries for which trend data were available, 33 managed to halve their multidimensional poverty index in fewer than 15 years. UNDP stressed that reducing multidimensional poverty requires coordinated action in education, health, and improving living standards.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that food insecurity, recurring natural disasters, human rights violations, funding shortages, and economic hardship have deepened Afghanistan’s humanitarian crises. In a statement issued the agency said that displaced and returning families in Afghanistan are facing several crises at once and need humanitarian assistance to cope. The statement said that women and girls are among those most severely affected by these crises. UNHCR added that discriminatory policies have severely restricted their access to education, work, public spaces, and essential services. The agency stressed that targeted assistance is essential to support returnees and internally displaced people. The UN said it would continue working with the relevant authorities, development partners, and the private sector to address the crises and ensure that responsibility for supporting the people of Afghanistan is shared. UNHCR said its advocacy efforts would focus on finding lasting solutions to Afghanistan’s humanitarian crises, particularly by supporting women and girls. This comes as, in recent years, amid widespread restrictions on women’s employment in many government institutions, organizations, and international agencies, some women have turned to private businesses to provide for their families.

Mursal Siyas, an Afghan journalist, writer, producer, and human rights activist, has been named one of the “Emerging Talents of 2026” by the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society. In a post on her Facebook account, Siyas wrote that she received the recognition for bringing media and human rights together. Each year, the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society selects a number of women under 40 who are active in fields including human rights, media, science, politics, the arts, business, and civil society as emerging talents. “Throughout all the years I have worked at the intersection of media and human rights, stories have meant far more to me than words and everyday news,” Siyas added. She said that being selected by the forum was also a recognition of and support for the Shukar podcast, which she described as an independent, grassroots media initiative. According to Siyas, media is a tool for building the world as it should be. Siyas’s recognition comes as Afghanistan’s de facto authorities have barred women and girls from education since taking control of the country. Most recently, they closed medical institutes to women and girls, even as Afghanistan’s health sector faces a shortage of personnel. The authorities’ actions have left millions of girls unable to continue their education. Women have also been banned from going to sports clubs, restaurants, and public baths; being examined by male doctors; travelling without a male guardian; and working for domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as United Nations offices in Afghanistan. According to reports, if the ban remains in place, nearly four million girls could be deprived of education by 2030.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that around 645 million people worldwide faced hunger over the past year. In a message posted to his X account Mr. Guterres said the world must make use of its available resources to ensure food supplies. He stressed that food is a fundamental human right, yet millions of people around the world continue to face hunger. Mr. Guterres added that the world has the knowledge, technology, and capacity to feed its people, and that the time has come to use these resources to fight hunger. The UN secretary-general emphasized that everyone, everywhere, should have access to safe and nutritious food. Meanwhile, hunger has had a severe impact on people’s lives in Afghanistan. The World Food Programme has reported that more than 17 million people in the country face acute food insecurity.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that since 2021, more than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education. The agency has warned that the ban on girls’ education has had far-reaching consequences for their future and for Afghanistan’s education and health systems. The statement says that at the start of each academic year, schools open their doors to only some students, while girls continue to be prevented from pursuing their education. In its report, UNICEF has shared the stories of several Afghan girls. Shafiqa, who was just 10 when the de facto authorities returned to power, says she was barred from continuing her education after completing sixth grade. Although she tried to keep learning through art classes and computer lessons, restrictions gradually took away all her educational opportunities. UNICEF writes that many girls now spend most of their time at home and are cut off from friends, teachers and the learning environment. The agency adds that reports point to rising isolation and mental health difficulties among girls across Afghanistan. Rabia, a 14-year-old who dreamed of becoming a nurse, also told UNICEF that being confined to her home had affected her mental health, and that being denied an education had left her feeling hopeless and frustrated. UNICEF has warned that the situation has affected not only girls’ education but also the health sector. The agency says that while young women’s access to medical studies has been restricted, the number of female health workers has also declined. According to UNICEF, this has made it difficult for many women—particularly pregnant women—to access health services. UNICEF has once again called for secondary and higher schools to be reopened to girls, stressing that girls’ right to education in Afghanistan must be restored without delay.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said that, with support from the European Union, it has helped rural women increase food production and expand their home-based businesses. Marking the International Day of Rural Women, the agency said that through training and equipment, these women had been able to improve their products and gain access to more markets. UNDP added that a lack of equipment, limited access to markets and insufficient knowledge of business practices had been among the main barriers to expanding these women’s businesses. The agency said that, under the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme (ACRP), it had helped women improve product quality, packaging and marketing, with support from the European Union and in cooperation with the United Nations. According to UNDP, rural women’s businesses not only create employment opportunities for women but also support local farmers. However, the lack of reliable electricity, cold-storage facilities and access to financial resources remains a challenge for these businesses. In recent years, amid widespread restrictions on women’s work at many government institutions, aid agencies and international organizations, some women have turned to private businesses to meet their families’ needs.

Rababa Mohammadi, a well-known Afghan painter, has won the 2026 Artist of the Year award from Max Gala, an organisation in Canada. In a video posted to her Instagram account, Mohammadi announced that she had received the award. She said the ceremony was held on Saturday, October 10, in Toronto, with dozens of prominent Canadian artists in attendance. Expressing her happiness at winning, she said: “Another achievement has been added to my artistic accomplishments. I have received Canada’s Max Gala Artist of the Year award for 2026.” She added that 200 artists took part in the competition. Following a public vote and the judges’ assessments, she was selected as Artist of the Year from among three finalists. Max Gala was established in 2015 to support the activities of Muslims in North America. Each year, the organisation holds a special ceremony in Canada to recognise outstanding work by Muslims in various fields. The organisation also announced Mohammadi as the winner of its 2026 Max Award in the Artist of the Year category, sharing her photo and congratulating her on the achievement. “We are proud to celebrate Rababa, an Afghan artist and entrepreneur who is part of SMILE’s OpenShop programme. This well-deserved recognition reflects the acknowledgement of her talent and creativity,” the organisation wrote. Mohammadi is a well-known Afghan painter who paints with her mouth because of a disability affecting her hands and feet. After the interim government returned to power, Mohammadi left Afghanistan. She has been living in Canada for about two and a half years.