The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported six new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 in Afghanistan. In a statement, the organization said the new cases bring the country’s total for 2026 to 42. According to the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office’s latest weekly polio report, three of the new cases were identified in Kandahar, two in Nangarhar and one in Kabul. The report says the cases were recorded in Kandahar, Batikot and Goshta districts in Nangarhar, and Musayi district in Kabul. WHO said the dates of onset for the six cases were reported between August 25 and September 9, 2026. Afghanistan recorded 21 cases of wild poliovirus in 2025. So far this year, the number of cases has reached 42. Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects children and can cause permanent paralysis. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease. Since the beginning of this year, 76 environmental samples positive for poliovirus have been detected in Afghanistan and 129 in Pakistan. Positive environmental samples indicate that the virus is circulating in the community, even if not everyone infected develops symptoms. A total of 52 polio cases were reported last year: 21 in Afghanistan and 31 in Pakistan. International organizations have reported that restrictions on vaccination campaigns are one of the key factors increasing the risk of polio outbreaks in Afghanistan.

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.