Afghanistan in 2026: What the UN Says About Women Five Years Under Taliban Rule
KABUL, Afghanistan — August 15, 2026 Daniel Brooks — International Affairs Correspondent.
Five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the situation facing women and girls remains one of the world’s most closely watched humanitarian and human rights issues.
A new United Nations assessment is drawing attention to a second crisis alongside the restrictions on Afghan women: the growing shortage of funding for women-led organisations working inside the country.
According to UN Women, many of these organisations are struggling to keep their doors open as international funding declines. The organisations provide services and support in areas where Afghan women often face major barriers to accessing help.
Afghan Women’s Organisations Face Funding Pressure
More than half said they could be forced to close or significantly reduce their work within the next year if the funding situation does not improve.
For Afghan women who depend on local organisations for assistance, the loss of these groups could make an already difficult situation even harder.
The organisations work on issues including protection, economic support, education, health, legal assistance and humanitarian aid.
Five Years After the Taliban Returned
The Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021 after the collapse of the previous Afghan government.
Since then, Afghan women and girls have faced sweeping restrictions affecting education, employment, movement and participation in public life.
The restrictions have made it increasingly difficult for many women to work, study and access services independently.
The United Nations has repeatedly called for the rights of Afghan women and girls to be protected and for restrictions affecting their daily lives to be reversed.
The funding problem is not simply about international aid organisations.
Women-led Afghan groups often have direct connections with local communities. They can reach women who may not be able or willing to approach larger international organisations.
If these local organisations disappear, humanitarian assistance could become harder to reach for some of the women and families who need it most.
UN Women is therefore urging international donors to provide longer-term and more flexible funding to Afghan women-led organisations.
Afghanistan’s Wider Humanitarian Crisis
The situation for women is developing within a much larger humanitarian crisis.
Afghanistan continues to face poverty, food insecurity, displacement and limited access to essential services.
The United Nations has warned that humanitarian funding remains far below the level required to meet the country’s needs.
For international aid agencies, the challenge is becoming increasingly difficult: demand for assistance remains high while available funding is under pressure.
What the UN Wants the World to Know
The UN’s message is that Afghanistan’s women cannot be left out of the international response.
Women-led organisations remain an important part of humanitarian work inside the country, but their future depends heavily on continued international support.
The issue is also becoming a test for the international community.
Five years after the Taliban takeover, governments and international organisations face a difficult question: how can humanitarian assistance continue reaching Afghan women while ensuring that their basic rights and participation in society are not forgotten?
Why Afghanistan Is Back in the Global Spotlight
Afghanistan is no longer receiving the same level of daily international attention that followed the Taliban’s return in 2021.
But the problems facing Afghan women have not disappeared.
The latest UN warnings show that the crisis has entered another phase — one in which restrictions on women are being combined with shrinking humanitarian resources.
For Afghan women and the organisations supporting them, the next year could be particularly important.
The international community now faces pressure to decide whether funding and diplomatic attention will be maintained or whether Afghanistan’s women will receive less support as the crisis becomes less visible in global headlines.
The Question the World Is Watching
Five years after the Taliban returned to power, Afghanistan remains at a critical point.
The UN is calling for continued international support, particularly for Afghan women-led organisations.
The question now is whether governments, donors and international institutions will provide enough support to prevent these organisations from disappearing.
For millions of Afghan women and girls, the answer could affect access to education, employment, humanitarian assistance, protection and essential services for years to come.
Official Sources
United Nations / UN Women: Reports and updates on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.
United Nations Security Council: UN briefings and official documents concerning Afghanistan.
UN Women: Five Years On: Afghan Women’s Futures at a Crossroads.
This article is based on publicly available United Nations information and reporting on Afghanistan. Figures and developments can change as new UN assessments are released
Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule: Five Years Later, Rights, Economy and Humanitarian Crisis Remain Critical
By Emma Sterling | International Affairs Correspondent
Updated: August 16, 2026
Afghanistan Five Years Under Taliban Rule
Five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the country remains under severe political, humanitarian and economic pressure.
The Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, 2021, and have since consolidated their position as Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. Large-scale nationwide warfare has declined compared with the years before the takeover, but Afghanistan continues to face serious human rights concerns, economic hardship, humanitarian needs and regional pressure.
The most significant international concern remains the treatment of women and girls.
At the same time, millions of Afghans have returned from neighboring countries, creating additional pressure on a fragile economy and already stretched public services.
Women and Girls Remain at the Center of the Crisis
Restrictions on women and girls remain one of the defining features of Taliban rule.
UNESCO and UNICEF reported in January 2026 that approximately 2.2 million adolescent girls have been banned from attending secondary school. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally prohibited from secondary and higher education.
The restrictions extend beyond education.
Women face restrictions affecting employment, movement, public participation and access to parts of public life.
International organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to reverse policies that prevent women and girls from fully participating in Afghan society.
The education restrictions also raise long-term concerns for Afghanistan’s economy because excluding millions of girls from education can reduce the country’s future pool of skilled workers.
Humanitarian Needs Remain Extremely High
Afghanistan continues to face one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, approximately 21.9 million people, or about 45 percent of Afghanistan’s population, are projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026.
The humanitarian needs include food assistance, healthcare, nutrition, protection, shelter and support for displaced and returning populations.
Funding remains a major challenge.
Humanitarian agencies must provide assistance across a country where poverty, displacement, food insecurity and limited access to basic services continue to affect millions of people.
Millions of Afghans Have Returned From Neighboring Countries
Large-scale returns from Iran and Pakistan have become another major issue for Afghanistan.
UNHCR’s Afghanistan operational data recorded approximately 1.019 million total returns to Afghanistan during 2026 as of July 18, 2026. The figure includes different categories of return and is not limited to deportations.
UNHCR recorded approximately 616,600 returns from Pakistan and 401,600 from Iran during that period.
The same UNHCR data recorded approximately 378,100 deportations in 2026 as of July 20.
These numbers are important because Afghanistan must absorb returning families while dealing with existing poverty, unemployment and humanitarian needs.
Returnees can require immediate access to shelter, food, healthcare, documentation, education and employment.
Afghanistan’s Economy Shows Growth but Living Standards Remain Under Pressure
Afghanistan’s economy has shown signs of resilience, but economic growth has not removed the country’s deeper problems.
The World Bank reported in May 2026 that the return of approximately 3.7 million Afghans had outpaced economic expansion, contributing to a 5.6 percent decline in GDP per capita.
Inflation has also increased.
According to the World Bank, inflation accelerated to 7.6 percent by March 2026, driven by food price pressures, supply constraints and stronger demand.
For Afghan households, this can mean higher costs for food and other essential goods at a time when incomes remain under pressure.
The economic challenge is therefore not simply whether Afghanistan’s total economy grows. The more important question is whether economic growth can keep pace with population growth and improve living standards.
Security Has Improved, But Risks Remain
The security situation has changed substantially since 2021.
The nationwide conflict between the Taliban and the former Afghan government has ended, reducing the scale of conventional fighting across much of the country.
However, Afghanistan continues to face security threats.
Militant groups, localized armed activity and tensions involving neighboring countries remain concerns for the Taliban authorities and the wider region.
A reduction in large-scale warfare therefore does not mean that Afghanistan is completely free from security risks.
International Recognition Remains a Major Issue
The Taliban have strengthened diplomatic and practical relationships with several countries since returning to power.
Regional governments have strong reasons to maintain communication with Kabul, including border security, migration, trade, terrorism concerns and regional stability.
However, diplomatic engagement and formal international recognition are not the same thing.
The Taliban’s policies toward women and girls remain a major obstacle to broader international normalization.
Afghanistan’s Neighbors Face Their Own Challenges
Pakistan and Iran are particularly important to Afghanistan because of their geographic proximity, trade links and long-standing Afghan refugee populations.
The scale of recent returns has made migration a major regional issue.
UNHCR reported that Afghanistan experienced approximately 2.9 million Afghan returns during 2025, adding to the pressure already facing the country.
The return movement has therefore become more than a migration story.
It is also an economic, humanitarian and regional-security issue.
The International Aid Challenge
International humanitarian support remains essential for millions of Afghans.
However, humanitarian organizations face difficult funding and operational conditions.
The UN’s 2026 humanitarian planning figure of 21.9 million people in need demonstrates the scale of the challenge.
At the same time, international governments continue to debate how to provide humanitarian assistance without weakening pressure on the Taliban over human rights.
This creates a difficult policy balance.
Humanitarian organizations need access to vulnerable communities, while international governments want meaningful progress on rights and governance.
What Comes Next for Afghanistan?
Afghanistan’s future will depend on several major factors.
Women’s Education
Whether girls and women regain access to secondary and higher education will remain one of the most closely watched issues.
Economic Growth
Afghanistan needs economic expansion that produces jobs and improves household incomes rather than growth being absorbed by population increases.
Returning Afghans
The continued arrival of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan will increase demand for housing, employment, healthcare and education.
Humanitarian Assistance
Millions of people will continue to depend on international humanitarian assistance unless economic conditions improve substantially.
Regional Security
Relations with Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian countries will remain important to Afghanistan’s political and economic future.
The Bigger Picture
Five years after the Taliban returned to Kabul, Afghanistan is more politically consolidated than it was during the previous period of nationwide war.
But political control has not ended the country’s humanitarian and economic difficulties.
Approximately 2.2 million adolescent girls remain excluded from secondary education, according to UNESCO and UNICEF.
Approximately 21.9 million people are projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026, according to OCHA.
And UNHCR data shows that more than one million Afghans had returned to Afghanistan during 2026 by July 18, with returns continuing to place pressure on communities and services.
The World Bank’s latest assessment also shows the economic dilemma clearly: Afghanistan’s economy can grow while living standards remain under pressure because population growth and returns are increasing demand faster than economic expansion.
Five years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan’s central challenge is therefore no longer simply who controls the country.
The larger question is whether political stability can eventually be matched by economic opportunity, humanitarian security and fundamental rights for the country’s entire population.
Official Sources
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026: Official OCHA Afghanistan 2026 Humanitarian Plan
Official Sources
- UN OCHA — Afghanistan Humanitarian Information
- UN OCHA — Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026
- UNHCR — Afghanistan Situation and Return Data
- UNESCO & UNICEF — Girls’ Education in Afghanistan
- UNESCO — Education in Afghanistan
- World Bank — Afghanistan Development Update, May 2026
- World Bank — Afghanistan Economic Data
UNHCR — United Nations Refugee Agency
Afghanistan Situation and Return Data: Official UNHCR Afghanistan Situation Data
UNESCO
Afghanistan education and girls’ education situation: Official UNESCO Afghanistan Education Information
World Bank
Afghanistan economic update, May 2026: Official World Bank Afghanistan Economic Update
World Bank — Afghanistan Country Data
Official Afghanistan economic indicators: World Bank Afghanistan Data
Editorial Note
This article uses information available through August 16, 2026. Humanitarian, economic and return figures can change rapidly. Where possible, official UN, UNESCO and World Bank figures have been used rather than estimates from secondary media reports.