UN Women Supports 113 Afghan Women-Led Organizations

In this report titled "Rebuilding the Women's Movement in Afghanistan, One Organization at a Time," UN Women adds that it provides assistance to women in 19 provinces of Afghanistan through appropriate training, skills development, and provision of small-scale seed funding.

According to the report, the "Rebuilding the Women's Movement in Afghanistan" program, which began in mid-2022, has partnered with 113 organizations in 19 provinces and supported at least 515 women as of May 2024. These women receive salaries through their work in these organizations.

Data from the International Labor Organization shows that by the end of 2022, the female employment rate had decreased by 25% compared to before the Taliban takeover. This decline is mainly due to the Taliban's bans on women working in national and international NGOs since December 2022.

Citing the decline in the female employment rate and restrictions, UN Women sees the launch of small home-based businesses as an essential solution to preserve skills and create hope among Afghan women.

Alison Davidian, UN Women's Special Representative for Afghanistan, says: "Supporting women-led community organizations not only helps sustain them but also prepares women for bigger things in the future."

She emphasizes that the entity's commitment to investing in women's organizations is not limited to financial support, but also includes long-term sustainable technical investment and capacity building to ensure success, motivate women, and enhance their sustainability.

This comes as the Taliban, in addition to other restrictive measures, have gradually banned women from working in various sectors since taking over Afghanistan. Currently, women are only employed in limited sectors such as domestic work, small and medium-sized businesses.