The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently announced that despite widespread crises and challenges in Afghanistan, women and girls in the country witnessed notable achievements and progress in 2025.
In a video posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account to mark the New Year, the organization stated that over the past year, Afghanistan has seen not only ongoing crises but also valuable achievements and successful businesses.
The organization further emphasized that during the past year in Afghanistan, health centers have been activated, farms have improved, women’s and girls’ businesses have grown, and families have returned to their homes.
UNDP added that during this period, children were able to access safe drinking water without concern, and both men and women received quality treatment for diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.
The United Nations Development Programme also expressed hope that 2026 will be a meaningful and promising year for the people of Afghanistan.
In recent years, following bans and restrictions on women’s employment in many sectors, women and girls have been forced to turn to small and medium-sized businesses to meet their basic living needs.
This comes as UNDP had previously announced that it has supported 89,000 businesses across Afghanistan, the majority of which are managed by women.
Meanwhile, after taking control of Afghanistan, the current authorities have deprived women and girls of education and schooling. Most recently, they closed the doors of medical institutes to girls and women, despite the nationwide shortage of healthcare personnel.
These actions by the current authorities have resulted in millions of female students being denied access to education.
In addition, women have been barred from attending sports clubs, restaurants, public bathhouses, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a male guardian (mahram), working in domestic and international non-governmental organizations, and even in United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
