Iranian media have reported that Afghan female athletes won 15 medals, including four gold medals, at Iran’s national qualifying competition for Light Kickboxing. According to the reports, Iran’s national Light Kickboxing qualifying competition was held on Thursday, November 5, at Shahid Rajaei Sports Complex in Tehran, with the participation of 550 male and female athletes. The Afghan female athletes from the “Omid-e Javanan” club delivered an outstanding performance, winning a total of 15 medals, including four gold, seven silver, and four bronze medals. The report stated that Roqia Eslami, Hadiya Jafari, Zainab Hosseini, and Nasrin Hosseini won gold medals. Zahra Jafari, Masouma Jafari, Narges Mohammadi, Narges Hosseini, Fahima Mohammadi, Sakina Jafari, and Madina Jafari won silver medals. Fatima Hosseini, Fereshteh Yousefi, Saheba Haidari, and Wanda Fazeli secured bronze medals. Meanwhile, Madina Khalili, the coach of the female athletes, said that despite restrictions facing the club and a lack of facilities, the athletes continue to work hard and pursue their goals. Highlighting her students’ outstanding performance, she said: “Despite the existing restrictions and challenges, they continue to train and strive with perseverance and strong determination.” Roqia Eslami, one of the gold medal winners, said that restrictions cannot prevent Afghan girls from making progress. Expressing her happiness over her team’s achievement, she said: “My teammates and I always strive to bring pride and honor to our country.” This comes as women’s sports have been banned in Afghanistan for the past five years. A large number of Afghan athletes and members of the country’s national sports teams have been forced to leave Afghanistan.

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has warned in its latest quarterly report of the Afghanistan Nutrition Surveillance System that the nutritional situation of children under five in the country is deteriorating, with malnutrition rates increasing in 22 provinces. In a report released in collaboration with the Afghanistan Nutrition Surveillance System, the organization said that the national rate of acute malnutrition among children reached 12 percent in the third quarter of 2026, compared with 9.3 percent in the second quarter of the same year. The findings of the assessment show that the number of provinces facing critical nutritional conditions has also increased, rising from 10 provinces in the first quarter of the year to 16 provinces in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the provinces of Zabul, Kandahar, Helmand, Daikundi, and Nuristan recorded the highest rates of severe child malnutrition. The report also identified food insecurity as one of the major challenges to children’s health in Afghanistan. According to the findings, 85.5 percent of children aged 6 to 59 months are experiencing some degree of food insecurity, while nearly half of them face moderate or severe food insecurity. Another section of the report highlights families’ difficulties in accessing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. Only 33.5 percent of households reported washing their hands with soap. Furthermore, 45.7 percent of households reported that children under five had suffered from diarrhea during the two weeks preceding the assessment. The Afghanistan Nutrition Surveillance System, in collaboration with partner organizations and local communities, monitors the nutritional status of children at 465 sites across 401 districts and all 34 provinces of the country. During the latest monitoring round, data on 19,822 children were collected. These findings highlight continuing concerns about children’s health and nutrition in Afghanistan, a situation closely linked to food insecurity and limited access to essential health and sanitation services. This comes as OCHA, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, previously reported that approximately 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are expected to suffer from malnutrition in 2026, including around 1.3 million children experiencing severe malnutrition.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, have once again called for the restoration of the right to education for girls, women, and children in Afghanistan. In their latest joint report released the two organizations stated that more than half of primary school-age children in Afghanistan are deprived of formal education. UNESCO and UNICEF further warned that the continuation of educational restrictions will deprive an entire generation of opportunities for education and progress. The two organizations stressed that barriers to education will also have a negative impact on Afghanistan’s future reconstruction and development. Since taking control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have barred women and girls from education and higher learning. In their latest restriction, they also closed the doors of medical institutes to girls and women, despite the fact that the country’s healthcare sector is facing a shortage of personnel. These measures by the current authorities have left millions of schoolgirls unable to continue their education. In addition, women have been prohibited from accessing sports clubs, restaurants, and public bathhouses, being examined by male doctors, travelling without a male guardian (mahram), and working for domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as even at United Nations offices in Afghanistan. According to reports, if these bans continue, nearly four million girls could be deprived of education by 2030.

The organization Afghans for Progressive Thinking has recently announced that Zahra Wanda has been selected as Afghanistan’s Youth Representative to the United Nations for the 2026–2027 term. In a statement, the organization said that Ms. Wanda would be responsible for representing the voices of Afghan youth, particularly young women, at the international level. She is tasked with raising their concerns, experiences, and aspirations in international forums. Meanwhile, Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan’s former Minister of Public Health, has emphasized the importance of meaningful youth presence and participation in discussions concerning Afghanistan’s future, human rights, gender equality, social justice, and sustainable development, noting that Afghanistan has a predominantly young population. Ms. Dalil said she was honored to have served as a member of the selection jury and to have participated in the final selection process for Afghanistan’s Youth Representative to the United Nations for the 2026–2027 term. She congratulated Zahra Wanda on being selected from among four finalists for the position and wished her perseverance, success, and effectiveness in bringing the voices of Afghan youth to the United Nations. Zahra Wanda is an Afghan researcher and activist working in the fields of refugee rights and humanitarian affairs. She is a former United Nations staff member, former journalist, and former member of Afghanistan’s Youth Parliament. She has been actively involved in refugee advocacy and promoting youth participation in society.

Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, has called for urgent action to support girls’ education in Afghanistan. In a post published on her X account, the UN official wrote that more than half of primary school-age children remain out of formal education. She further emphasized that 2.6 million girls are currently being denied access to education from Grade 7 onwards. Referring to the situation of girls’ education in Afghanistan, Fleming warned that without immediate action, an entire generation will be left behind. The UN Under-Secretary-General stated: “Afghanistan: More than half of primary school-age children remain out of formal education, with 2.6 million girls barred from education from Grade 7 onwards.” It is worth noting that since taking control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have banned women and girls from accessing education. In their latest restriction, they also closed the doors of medical institutes to female students, despite the fact that Afghanistan’s healthcare sector is facing a shortage of medical personnel. These restrictions have prevented millions of girls from continuing their education. In addition, women have been banned from accessing sports clubs, restaurants, public bathhouses, receiving medical examinations from male doctors, travelling without a male guardian (mahram), and working for domestic and international non-governmental organizations, as well as United Nations offices in Afghanistan. According to reports, if these restrictions remain in place, nearly four million girls could be deprived of education by 2030.

Benazir Nourzad, an Afghan student and recipient of a U.S. Fulbright scholarship, has been arrested by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Matiullah Nourzad, Benazir’s brother, told the media that she was arrested by U.S. immigration officers as she was preparing to fly from an airport to Virginia. The 32-year-old Afghan student went to the United States in 2021 on a Fulbright scholarship and applied for asylum that same year. Sources emphasized that Benazir’s asylum application had not been denied and that her asylum interview had been scheduled for the coming weeks. According to published reports, she was transferred to the Calhoun County Correctional Facility in Battle Creek, Michigan. Her current whereabouts and exact place of detention remain unknown. Matiullah Nourzad, a U.S. permanent resident who previously worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan, described his sister’s arrest as unjustifiable. He said she had a work permit and the documents required to live and work legally in the United States. Expressing concern that his sister could be sent back to Afghanistan, he urged U.S. officials to review Benazir’s case as soon as possible, taking humanitarian considerations into account. Meanwhile, the Hazara Diaspora Network expressed concern over Nourzad’s arrest by U.S. immigration authorities and called for her immediate release. The organization urged U.S. immigration authorities to review Nourzad’s asylum case in full compliance with due-process principles and the United States’ international commitments to protect asylum seekers. The Hazara Diaspora Network warned that returning Nourzad to Afghanistan could expose her to serious threats.

The United Nations has issued a new warning that, as winter approaches, 15.9 million people in Afghanistan are facing severe food insecurity at crisis levels or worse. In a report, the UN said vulnerable families are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. The report states that humanitarian aid is essential to saving lives, but sustained investment in livelihoods and basic services is also crucial to strengthening families’ ability to cope with crises. According to assessments by UN agencies, the number of people facing severe food insecurity is expected to rise to 19.2 million during the winter season, from November 2026 to April 2027. The report says that around five million of them will face emergency levels of hunger. Another section of the report addresses the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said many women in Afghanistan have lost hope and are living in an atmosphere of fear and anxiety. Criticizing the restrictions, Guterres said that the laws in force in Afghanistan have formalized the systematic exclusion of women and girls from public life. He stressed that the United Nations would not allow gender discrimination to be normalized anywhere in the world. The UN said its staff across Afghanistan, together with partners, continue to provide humanitarian assistance and life-saving services, and remain committed to supporting the people of the country. The secretary-general called for an immediate end to violence, respect for the rights of all people in Afghanistan, and compliance with the country’s international commitments and agreements.

Martin Fraser, Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, says the international community and international organizations must not remain silent about the situation of women in Afghanistan. Fraser met with Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and discussed the country’s human rights situation. The Irish ambassador stressed that Bennett’s work monitoring human rights and reporting violations in Afghanistan plays an important role in supporting efforts to ensure accountability and keep the issue on the international community’s agenda. He said these efforts are particularly important for keeping a spotlight on the widespread discrimination faced by Afghan women and girls. A number of countries have repeatedly expressed concern about restrictions on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and called for them to be lifted. Since taking control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have barred women and girls from education. Most recently, they closed medical institutes to women and girls, despite a shortage of health-care workers across the country. The authorities’ actions have left millions of school-age girls unable to continue their education. Women have also been barred 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 nongovernmental organizations, as well as UN offices in Afghanistan. According to reports, if the ban remains in place, nearly four million girls could be deprived of an education by 2030.

Italy’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has reiterated its commitment to supporting Afghan women and girls and working to secure their fundamental rights. In a statement, the mission said Italy was among the signatories of a joint statement on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, delivered at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The Permanent Mission of Italy stressed the need for the international community to take action in response to the situation of Afghan women and girls, and to work to ensure justice, equality and accountability for violations of their rights. Since taking control of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities have barred women and girls from education. Most recently, they closed the doors of medical institutes to women and girls, despite a shortage of health-care workers across the country. The authorities’ actions have left millions of school-age girls unable to continue their education. Women have also been barred 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 nongovernmental organizations, as well as UN offices in Afghanistan. According to reports, if the ban remains in place, nearly four million girls could be deprived of an education by 2030.