Three months have passed since the Taliban imposed sweeping restrictions barring Afghan women staff and contractors from entering all United Nations premises across Afghanistan, the UN Women says.
In a statement released today, Susan Ferguson, UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan, emphasized the central role Afghan women play in humanitarian operations and warned that the prolonged restrictions are placing life-saving services at increasing risk.
“Our Afghan women colleagues have continued their vital work for the people of Afghanistan, from their homes and in communities,” Ferguson said. “With determination and professionalism, they have supported more families affected by earthquakes, more returnees, and countless women, men, and children in need.”
Ferguson underscored that Afghan women are indispensable to the United Nations’ ability to deliver aid safely and effectively, noting that women aid workers are essential for reaching women and girls in culturally appropriate ways.
“Assistance must be delivered by women, to women,” she said.
The UN has repeatedly condemned the restrictions as a violation of the organization’s founding principles, including equality and human rights, enshrined in the UN Charter. The ban also undermines the UN’s operational capacity at a time when Afghanistan is grappling with economic collapse, internal displacement, and climate-related disasters.
In response to the crisis, UN agencies, funds, and programs have implemented additional interim operational adjustments to keep essential services running, though they caution that these measures are not sustainable long-term. The UN continues to assess “viable options” to maintain principled humanitarian delivery in a challenging and unpredictable environment.
Ferguson renewed the UN’s call for the immediate reversal of the ban and urged the authorities to allow Afghan women safe access to offices and field missions.
“We call for the ban on Afghan women staff and contractors from entering United Nations premises to be reversed,” she stated. “Only then can assistance reach the women and girls who need it most.”
The restrictions come at a time when Afghanistan is facing overlapping humanitarian emergencies.
In recent months, over 2.1 million Afghans — including more than 1.66 million from Iran and around 360,000 from Pakistan — have returned to Afghanistan amid mass deportations and expulsions, many arriving with no shelter, income or support, according to the United Nations.
At the same time, powerful earthquakes have rocked eastern and northern Afghanistan: according to UNICEF, the 31 August 2025 quake left nearly 1,992 people dead and 3,631 injured, destroyed or damaged over 8,500 houses, and displaced hundreds of thousands.
UN Women warn that limiting Afghan women’s access to UN premises will further hinder efforts to respond to these escalating crises — threatening to worsen the suffering of displaced families already struggling for shelter, food and medical aid.
The ban, now in its 91st day, continues to threaten the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance to millions of Afghans.
