The United Nations has urged sustained international engagement with Afghanistan five years into Taliban rule, warning that restrictions on women and terrorism concerns risk undermining gains from improved security.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on 13 August that reduced conflict had brought “tangible benefits” for many Afghans and created opportunities for recovery and regional cooperation.
It also highlighted the ban on opium poppy cultivation as a positive step.
Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge of UNAMA, said Afghans value stability after decades of conflict.
“The last five years have shown that Afghans deeply value peace and stability after decades of war,” Gagnon said.
However, UNAMA said restrictions on women and girls, alongside concerns about terrorism, remain major obstacles to Afghanistan’s recovery and international reintegration.
Gagnon said lasting stability would require more than an end to widespread conflict. She said: “sustainable peace and prosperity require more than just an absence of conflict. Afghanistan’s future depends on building a society in which the rights and potential of all Afghans are realised and institutions are responsive and accountable.”
UNAMA called on authorities in Kabul to remove restrictions on women and girls, protect fundamental freedoms and address international security concerns.
It said the UN has continued to engage with the authorities since 2021 through humanitarian assistance, basic services and work on political and human rights issues.
Taliban officials have previously rejected criticism of their policies on women, saying rights are protected within their interpretation of Islamic law.
In a separate statement on 13 August, UN human rights experts warned against normalising Taliban rule without progress on human rights.
They said a generation of girls had missed out on secondary education as restrictions on women and girls had deepened. More than 17 million people faced food insecurity during the past winter, they added.
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