UNDP: Exclusion of Women from Work Could Cost Afghanistan Nearly One Billion Dollars by 2026

Photo: Omar/Salaam Times

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced that since October 2021, it has provided vital services and essential social support to more than 25 million people across Afghanistan.

In a new report published on Sunday (13 July), the agency stated that from 2021 to 2024, it supported nearly 80,000 small businesses, 97 percent of which are run by women.

According to the report, Afghan women’s dependence on informal jobs with no stable income has increased in recent years, rising from 37 percent in 2023 to 57 percent in 2024. While only seven percent of women work outside the home, that figure is 84 percent for men.

The UNDP has warned that the continued exclusion of women from the formal economy could cost Afghanistan around 920 million dollars between 2024 and 2026.

This warning comes as, following the Taliban’s return to power, sweeping restrictions have been imposed on women’s right to work, and thousands of women have been deprived of their previous jobs.