“I used to be a university teacher, now I am unemployed,” explains Shukriya, an active member of her community until August 2021 who now finds herself standing in line for food distributed by the World Food Programme. Restrictions on women’s rights, such as the right to work, push many women like Shukriya to line up for food for the first time in their lives, reflecting the shifting face of hunger in Afghanistan. No one should have to queue for food, but when but when this is necessary, the United Nations is there to ensure that people have what they need to pull themselves out of poverty and into a better life. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Shukriya to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Some 35% of teachers in Afghanistan are women. Currently they are being paid only occasionally – or, as in Shukriya’s case, not paid at all. No durable peace, recovery, or stability is possible without women’s active engagement and participation in their country. Dr. Razia is the only woman doctor in the COVID-19 ward of a hospital in Kabul – one of the four COVID-19 hospitals supported by the World Health Organization, with assistance from the European Union. “During the fourth wave of the pandemic, we are seeing increasing number of patients coming to the hospital and the majority of them have comorbidities. As health workers, we continue to look after them even though we operate in extremely difficult circumstances. My role is to save lives and I will continue to serve my people,” says Dr. Razia Women health workers serve many roles in the health system – doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory experts, epidemiologists, cleaners, interns. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Dr. Razia to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Shamsia, like millions of Afghans, was pushed out of her home by increased levels of insecurity in her town. Along with her parents and sisters, Shamsia now lives in a camp where people like her, who fled their homes in search of refuge within the country, do all they can to build a new life. For Shamsia, the journey from her home started when she was 12 and her parents could no longer afford her education. Shamsia’s family initially moved to Kabul to pursue better economic opportunities. Now, they live in a camp in Mazar-i-Sharif, where Shamsia learnt how to weave carpets at a training run by the United Nations International Labour Organization. At 27, Shamsia is the sole breadwinner of her family and the head of a business that continues an ancient Afghan tradition. No one should have to leave their home and choosing to do so is always a hard choice. The United Nations is there to ensure that people have what they need to start their lives anew. 3.5 million Afghans have fled their homes in search of refuge in other parts of the country. On International Women’s Day, as on every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Shamsia to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Amina noticed there was something different about Firoza’s delivery – another baby was on the way. Family Health House guidelines advise midwives like Amina not to attempt to deliver twins alone, but Firoza’s precarious condition meant it would have been too dangerous to transfer her to another facility, and in any case, most had closed due to the deteriorating security situation. Fearing for the well-being of her patient, Amina quickly called the Midwifery Helpline for support. The Midwifery Helpline from the United Nations Population Fund offers remote mentoring to midwives in Afghanistan, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Launched in 2016, the toll-free number is staffed by two gynecologists and two midwives who provide counselling, referrals, and step-by-step instructions to lead health practitioners through complex, and at times lifesaving, procedures. On International Women’s Day, as on every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Amina to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. “I love drawing, but my parents cannot afford to buy me any paper or paint,” said Mariam, 16, who lives in Herat province. “Because I can’t go to school now, I just stay at home.” The Spotlight Initiative (SI) in Afghanistan, among other activities, creates safe spaces where girls and women like Mariam can access psychosocial support, learning, and other services during time of insecurity and crisis. Mariam uses the safe spaces facilitated by the SI and its partners to paint, hoping that one day she will be able to complete her education and become a painter. Mariam’s father is now encouraging other members of his communities to send their girls to these dedicated safe spaces. For over seven months, teenage girls across Afghanistan have been forbidden from attending school. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with teenage girls like Mariam to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Hamida had worked in Afghanistan as a prosecutor, independent investigator, and civil society leader for more than 16 years. Like many across the country, the women’s protection shelter Hamida used to run is now closed. This shelter, run in partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, hosted women and their children who would otherwise have remained trapped with the perpetrator of the abuse from which they fled. At these shelters, women learn how to read and write and acquire new skills that allow them to become economically independent. They also receive counselling to overcome trauma and interact with each other, sharing their stories in a healing way. Today, Hamida is still in Afghanistan, advocating for the rights of Afghan women and girls. She is in daily contact with the women who used to come to her shelter. She offers counselling over the telephone, but she knows that this is not enough for those women who are locked in with their abusers. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 Afghan women will experience some form of domestic violence during their lifetime. The United Nations in Afghanistan is advocating alongside women like Hamida for the reopening of life-saving services like women’s protection centres across the country. “I want to be a pilot one day,” notes Fazila – like many of her women colleagues works at the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) managed by the World Food Programme. UNHAS flies where and when no one else can, delivering life-saving items like food, and transporting humanitarian experts where they are most needed. In Afghanistan, UNHAS employs a team of women who are continuing to come to the workplace and provide an essential contribution to their country, despite the hurdles that many women like them now face in Afghanistan – restrictions on their rights to work, to learn, to move. When extreme crisis hits – like the one Afghanistan is currently facing, the United Nations continues to provide safe transport options for aid workers and life-saving assistance to the most hard-to-reach areas. Some 24.4 million people need humanitarian assistance now in Afghanistan, half of them women or girls. On International Women’s Day, as on every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Fazila to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Twenty-two years ago, Hamida left Afghanistan in search of better opportunities for her and her family. War had forced her to leave everything behind and migrate to Iran. Hamida worked on a farm and, 16 years after leaving her home, came back to Afghanistan with the vision of running her own farm. Home was where Hamida and her family felt most comfortable – but her native province was still not safe and the economic situation across the country remained dire. Hamida and her family moved to Mazar-i-Sharif, to a camp for internally displaced persons – people who had to flee their homes but did not cross an international border. Here, her farming skills were improved by the United Nations International Labour Organization, which matched her knowledge with management and financial skills. Now, Hamida is running a small-scale farm. Although 80 per cent of the world’s food is produced by small-scale farming, the contribution of women farmers is often not maximized. As a farmer running her own farm, Hamida is feeding her family and contributing to her country’s economy. The United Nations in Afghanistan works with women and men to break down the barriers that prevent them from feeding their families, while promoting reinvestment in their livelihood. Afghans make up one of the largest refugee populations worldwide. There are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees worldwide, of whom 2.2 million are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone. On International Women’s Day – and every day – the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Hamida to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing.  

Women’s access to safe outdoor spaces is limited in Jalalabad. When Marzia, a woman community leader, heard about the intervention by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and its partners in her community, she started a campaign to convince all local men and women to vote for a women’s park to be built. This community project indeed passed a vote and Jalalabad now has a green area for women. “Women decided to build a park here in our community, because they recognized the importance of a green area for women. Now we have taken a step towards true humanity, in which all women and men have the same right and responsibilities,” said a local man in Jalalabad. Community leaders like Marzia played an active role in advocating for the initiative, but also in the project planning, implementation and monitoring. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Marzia to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. “I listened to the dangers of early marriage and decided to spare Shabana from what happened to my first daughter. My husband, however, did not want to listen to me.” Shabana is 13 and her mother did not give up on protecting here, but rather sought advice at one of the safe centres run by the Spotlight Initiative and its partners in Herat province. Counsellors at the centre spoke to Shabana’s father about all the unpleasant aspects of early marriage and the responsibilities of a father to protect his daughters. At the safe centre, Shabana and her family also received food and her father got a small job selling vegetables. He now is no longer interested in marrying off Shabana. At this moment, 24.4 million people in Afghanistan, more than half of the country’s population, need humanitarian assistance. This dire crisis is pushing many families to resort to desperate measures like child labour and early marriage. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with teenage girls like Shabana to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Zahra was top of her class and an inspiration to other students at the tailoring sessions provided by the United Nations International Labour Organization in Mazar-i-Sharif. A difficult financial situation forced Zahra and her family to live in a tent. But her commitment to learning new skills and her talent for tailoring helped Zahra pull herself and her family out of poverty. Within 8 months of completing the training course, Zahra’s new income had paid for the construction of a room where she could live with her family. She also managed to scale-up her tailoring business and bought a motorcycle, now used by her husband to deliver goods to the market. By the end of the year, Zahra hopes to be able to add another room to her quarters, improving the living conditions of her family. Her ambition is to help her children receive the education that she always dreamt they would have. No one should be forced to live in a tent, but when this happens, the United Nations is there to ensure that people have what they need to pull themselves out of poverty and into a better life. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Zahra to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. “Every morning when we used to take the cows to the pasture, I would go to the hill in front of the boys’ school and watch the school. I loved school before I knew what school meant,” said Basmina, who grew up in Khost province. The school was too far away from Basmina’s village and her father was worried that she would not be safe, and that the community would judge their family. One day, Fariba, a teacher in a literacy programme run by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and its partners across Afghanistan, came to their house. Fariba was looking for girls like Basmina, eager to learn how to read and write, to join her literacy class.  Basmina’s mother again faced the reluctance of her husband, but this time she did not give up – the school was established in their village and the teachers were all women. Years passed and Basmina graduated from university – top of her class. Now, she works as Lead Adviser for an international organization in Afghanistan. None of this would not have been possible if Fariba – Basmina’s first teacher – had not knocked on her door all those years ago. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women and girls like Basmina, her mother, and her dedicated teacher, Fariba, to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Nabila and her family were forced to leave their home due to insecurity in their province. In 2007, they returned to Afghanistan, but their hometown was still not secure enough to allow resettlement, so they found refuge in a camp in Mazar-i-Sharif. While living in the camp, Nabila learnt how to embroider. Previously unemployed, and with her parents in need of medical assistance and unable to work, Nabila is now the sole breadwinner of her family. Nabila is one of 5.5 million internally displaced Afghans, who have fled their home in search of refuge within their country. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Nabila to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Mansoora used to be a Computer Science student at the University of Balkh, but the fall of the democratically elected government in Afghanistan pushed Mansoora out of the classroom and into her home. Technology has always been her passion, so when the United Nations International Labour Organization offered support, she signed up for a mobile phone repair workshop. Now, she is training other women on how to repair phones, while providing software services for women customers at a shop in Mazar-i-Sharif. Mansoora is grateful that she can contribute to her family’s income and save money for her education, but she is also eager to get back to university. She dreams of one day running her own repair business. The United Nations stands firm in the belief that women and girls should be able to pursue the education of their choice. Forced to suffer the consequences of multiple overlapping crises, millions of Afghan students – the country’s future – are out of school. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Mansoora to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Born in a village in Afghanistan, Zarina did everything she could to obtain an education. However, her family only allowed her to attend until the second grade. But her mother did not give up, homeschooling Zarina right through to the twelfth grade. Zarina then moved to a city, studying at tertiary level for three years – until her family decided that she could no longer attend university. Reflecting the determination of her mother before her, Zarina did not give up and continued her degree in Turkmenistan, where she studied Political Science. But she ultimately was forced to stop her studies, due to financial difficulties. Upon returning to Afghanistan, Zarina found work in a soap factory, and now sometimes leads the production process. In her spare time, Zarina writes poetry – with a series of her poems being published in Europe. Zarina dreams of one day running her own soap factory. Every day that a girl misses out on an education is a missed opportunity – for them, for their family, for their community. In Afghanistan, 60% of the 4.2 million children not enrolled in school before the recent humanitarian crisis were girls. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with women like Zarina to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing. Zainap, 17, has two sisters and two brothers. They live in a village in Herat province with their mother, who does all the work in the house, and their father, who is self-employed.  When Zainap first came to the Girls Safe Space run by the Spotlight Initiative and its partners, she was very scared. She talked about her father being harsh, shouting and even beating her because she did not yet wish to marry. The social worker helping Zainap at the Girls Safe Space was able to provide practical advice on how to speak about her worries to her mother and religious leaders. In the end, Zainap’s father understood how terrified she was. The situation slowly improved at home, and Zainap was no longer pushed to get married. Some 28 per cent of Afghan women aged between 15 and 49 were married before the age of 18. On International Women’s Day and every day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands with teenage girls like Zainap to ensure that they have what they need to live a life of their choosing

Mursal Samadi* had worked as a prosecutor, independent investigator, and a civil society leader for more than 16 years in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over Kabul on 15 August. She remains in Afghanistan, advocating for the rights of Afghan women and girls. "I used to meet with the Minister of Women’s Affairs who brought together women civil society leaders to discuss about how we can work together to serve all Afghan women and girls. The governor of the province awarded me and my organization for the excellent services we were delivering to women and girls facing violence at home. Women coming together, working together, kept me going. Now, we live in a different reality. The days are slow… I do not remember the last time that I was busy. I go to work only twice a week, and only until midday. When I do, my nephew carries my laptop for me. I do not want people to know that I am going to work. Before, I used to be able to drive to the provinces (to help women). Now when I receive calls from my clients, there is nothing I can do. There has always been the need to support women and girls, ensure access to life-saving services when they escape violence at home. As a defence lawyer, I came across cases where social norms were [regarded] above the law, where adultery was always a woman’s fault, where men were rarely found guilty of anything. The ending violence against women law we had was not perfect, but it guaranteed to protect the rights of women and girls and allowed us, the members of the judicial system, to show perpetrators they can be punished for their acts. We don’t have this law anymore. The vacuum left by the absence of a legislative framework will be filled with executions without due process, women judges will be replaced by men, who will keep reinforcing the social norms that blamed women. Men used to refrain from violence as the media would report them, the judiciary system would punish them, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs would take active steps to prevent violence from happening. We have none of this anymore and I believe domestic violence has doubled. Women cannot trust anyone anymore. When I think about the future of my country, I have mixed feelings. We still see women being denied their right to work, peaceful protests led by women are met with force. What my country needs is an inclusive government. As an Afghan woman, I encourage the international community to continue upholding, defending, and protecting the rights of Afghan women and girls. We used to be able to able to speak publicly about our challenges, we used to be able come together and find solutions to our challenges. Now, we live in fear and cannot help one another like we used to.”   * Names, locations, and course of events have been changed in this article to ensure the safety of the Afghan woman human rights defender featured. Interviewed by Nangyalai Tanai, and Olguta Anghel

Nearly half of the country’s 40 million people needed humanitarian assistance. More than half of all children under age 5 were likely to face acute malnutrition. Over 1,600 civilians were killed and more than 3,000 injured in the first half of the year.  Since 15 August, things have only gotten worse. Here are nine facts you need to know about the situation in Afghanistan now.  1. Millions have fled their homes  “We had no time to gather anything. We fled with only a blanket,” says Maryam, 24, an internally displaced Afghan woman in Mazar-e Sharif. She is one of more than half a million people who, since the beginning of the year, have fled their homes due to escalating violence.   Afghans already constituted one of the world’s largest refugee populations worldwide, says UNHCR, with more than five million people in protracted displacement since 2012.  UNHCR and partners are assisting newly displaced Afghans with life-saving shelter, food, water, and other items, both within Afghanistan and in neighbouring countries.   2. An economic crisis is looming Afghanistan faces an economic crisis caused in part by the sudden withdrawal of large-scale development assistance, lack of access to cash, and reduced overseas remittances.   Prices are soaring, and more than 12 million people are facing food insecurity, with many of them selling their belongings and borrowing money to buy food.   The World Food Programme (WFP) and partners are continuing to deliver nationwide, reaching more than 5.5 million people in October alone. In 2022, WFP plans to serve the food and nutrition needs of almost 23 million people in Afghanistan. 3. Health care is on the verge of collapse Afghanistan has made significant health gains over the last 20 years. Now that progress is at risk, as millions of people have lost access to basic health services.  Medicines, medical supplies and fuel are running out across the country. Cold chains for vaccines are compromised. Nurses and doctors are not being paid.   Cuts in donor support have left thousands of health facilities without fundingand essential medicines, forcing health providers to make hard decisions on who to save and who to let die.   On 22 September, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths released US$45 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to help prevent Afghanistan’s health-care system from falling apart. But much more support is needed.  4. Schools have reopened… but not for everyone In September, secondary schools reopened in Afghanistan following months of pandemic-related closures. Sadly, only boys were allowed to attend. Girls were left behind. This is a reversal of the great strides in education, especially for girls, that the country had made in the past two decades.  "We've got around one million high school-age girls sitting at home, denied their right to an education,” Samantha Mort of UNICEF Afghanistan told UN News.  “If children are not in school, they're much more likely to be recruited by an armed group, or to fall into early marriage or to be exploited in some way.” “There's no childhood” these days in Afghanistan, says Mort. “It's all about survival.”   5. Women’s and girls’ rights are at risk The recent crisis has affected everyone in Afghanistan, but women and girls bear the consequences the most. Their rights and freedom of movement have been curtailed, and women’s rights, including to education, work and holding public office, are in danger of being rolled back.    Restricting women’s involvement in the workforce, including in humanitarian activities, will directly impact the ability of women and girls to access critical services.  Their experience, capacities and leadership are invaluable for peace and security in Afghanistan.  6. A fourth wave of the pandemic is possible Afghanistan has just emerged from the peak of a third wave of COVID-19.  Before August of this year, 2.2 million people had been vaccinated against COVID-19, barely more than a quarter of the vaccination target for 2021.  Now, nine of the country’s 37 COVID-19 hospitals have already closed and all aspects of the pandemic response have slowed down, including surveillance, testing and vaccinations, causing fears of a fourth wave of the disease.   WHO is boosting the COVID-19 response, testing capacity in the country, airlifting over 50 000 COVID-19 tests that are currently being distributed to 32 laboratories across the country. Some 150,000 more COVID-19 tests are in the pipeline and will be delivered in the next months.   7. Drought is causing continued hardship Afghanistan is facing its second drought in four years, affecting one third of the country. That’s dire news for the seventy per cent of all Afghans who live in rural areas and rely on agriculture for food and income.   The drought has pushed poor families to rely on child labour, early and forced marriage, and risky irregular migration. It has also led to a water scarcity crisis, which will further increase sanitation and hygiene needs.  FAO has scaled up its emergency assistance, providing animal feed, seeds and fertilizer for the winter wheat-planting season. FAO is also providing training on wheat cultivation and sustainable livestock management to build resilience for the future.  This assistance aims to protect agricultural livelihoods and support 3.3 million people until the end of the year. 8. We are still here Staying and delivering means reaching affected people in Afghanistan, wherever they are, with vital assistance.  Day and night, the UN is working with humanitarians, including local teams, to provide food, water, health care, education, protection and livelihood assistance. To continue this work, the international community must honour its promises and provide urgent and flexible cash funding that can be distributed quickly and allow humanitarians to help those in need. “The people of Afghanistan must not pay the price of collective failures. They deserve a normal life in peace and dignity,” says Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan. “We will spare no effort to respond to the needs of all women, men, and children in Afghanistan.”  9. Winter is coming The struggles and human suffering of millions of Afghans will be exacerbated by the harsh winter, which is only a few weeks away. Plummeting temperatures will lead to an increase in acute respiratory infections and deaths.  Providing winter assistance early will be a lifeline for millions. Many families, particularly those who live in open spaces or tented camps, will need warm clothes and shelter to fend off the bitter cold.  The world’s attention to Afghanistan may soon subside, but the plight of the Afghan people will continue. But we will not abandon the people of Afghanistan. We will not abandon the country’s people. We will not abandon ethnic minorities. We will not abandon women and girls.  How you can help  The Afghanistan Flash Appeal seeks $606 million to provide immediate life-saving assistance for 11 million Afghans for the remainder of this year. Despite the global attention to the country’s dire situation, little funding has been received on the ground. We ask donors to fast-track funding to prevent a further humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.  To donate to the crisis, visit the dedicated donation webpage.  Article was adapted from the originally published article on the OCHA website. Composed and editorial support by Ahmed Ben Lassoued and Paul VanDeCarr, Development Coordination Office.