In the early 1990s Uzbekistan, the double landlocked country in Central Asia, had just emerged as an independent state from the Soviet Union. With a fragile economy and developing industrial sector, these were challenging times for the newly autonomous country. 

Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, remembers this period well, having spent the early days of his career working for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Regional Office for Central Asia. In Uzbekistan he witnessed first-hand the challenges in expanding healthcare and other essential services. 

"Back in those days the overall developmental context of the country and the challenges experienced were very different from the current level of advancement and development."

Thirty years later, as Dr. Alakbarov returns to the country, Uzbekistan finds itself in a very different position: a key supporter and vital partner in the United Nation’s response to one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian emergencies.  

Since the Taliban returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021, humanitarian needs across the country have soared. Ninety-five  per cent of people do not have enough food to eat. 6.6 million people are at risk of famine and one million children are severely malnourished.

As more and more Afghans are forced to rely on humanitarian assistance in order to survive, UN Afghanistan, led by Dr. Alakbarov and his team, have been working with UN agencies to scale up its response. Regional cooperation is key Regional cooperation has been key to enabling the UN’s successful response in Afghanistan, as Dr. Alakbarov learnt during a recent joint mission to Termez in southern Uzbekistan with the Resident Coordinator of Uzbekistan, Ms. Roli Asthana and country representatives from UNICEF and UNHCR. 

Termez is a relatively small city of just over 180, 000 people, but it is playing an outsized role in supporting the UN’s emergency operations across the border in Afghanistan. Termez Regional Humanitarian Logistics Hub is situated 2 km from the border and was the first stop of the Resident Coordinators’ joint visit.

The center was set up in October 2021 by UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency - with strong support from the Government of Uzbekistan. Its proximity to the border means supplies can be moved quickly and easily to where they are needed most.   UNHCR Representative for Afghanistan Leonard Zulu explained to the Resident Coordinators’ delegation how the hub’s location in Termez was vital to enabling a quick and flexible humanitarian response. "Our humanitarian assistance has been brought closer to the Afghanistan operations so that if we need that across the border we can move it as quickly as possible. 

So far we have moved 1000 tons from here mainly to Afghanistan but with the recent crisis in Ukraine we have been using some of the humanitarian assistance to help out in Ukraine as well."  With over 9,000 square meters of storage, the warehouse houses a range of emergency food rations, WASH supplies and other relief items including sleeping mats, tarpaulins, fleece, blankets, and kitchen sets. 
Essential food items, including flour, travel from the hub in Termez to all corners of Afghanistan.

"Some of them are going to Badakhshan via Dushanbe to in Tajikistan, and some will go directly into trucks where they will be sent all over the north of Afghanistan to Kabul, down to Jalalabad, to Kandahar," explains Finne Lucey, a WFP Logistics Officer.  Joining forces across borders The vast amount of supplies moving in and out of the hub every day is not just an impressive logistical feat, but also a testament to the strong cooperation fostered between different UN agencies and the Government of Uzbekistan. 

Speaking to colleagues at the cargo hub, Dr. Alakbarov was struck by the level of inter-agency and cross border collaboration he saw in Termez.   "This is how UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR, and our coordination offices are joining forces across borders to deliver aid to the Afghan people. We have reached millions of people in Afghanistan with essential food aid this winter, and we will continue because no one should be left behind." Without the support of the Government of Uzbekistan in providing this high-tech facilitation cargo hub in Termez, it would not be possible to transport such large quantities of aid across the border. 

"The government here has said right from the beginning a priority for them is to make sure that they support the humanitarian operations inside of Afghanistan and they're doing just that", explained Simon Hacker, RCO Uzbekistan Team Leader who joined the Resident Coordinators’ delegation.  

For Dr. Alakbarov the solidarity he saw in Termez was not surprising. Reflecting on his time in Uzbekistan in the late 1990s he remarked:  "Even back then during difficult times, the people of Uzbekistan have always been welcoming, they always care for their neighbors.

It’s heartwarming to see the level of development in the country today, to see this generosity and open attitude towards Afghans, sharing the fruits of their development." Beyond emergency relief   The spirit of neighborly solidarity between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan runs deep, and goes beyond the provision of emergency humanitarian relief - as the Resident Coordinators saw during their second stop of their mission to Termez at an education facility for Afghan students.

The Educational Center for Training Afghan Citizens (ECTAC), which was initially set up in 2017 by the governments of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, delivers a broad range of higher and vocational education and training to Afghans living in Termez. 

In December of 2021, as more and more young Afghans began to cross the border into Uzbekistan, UNDP partnered with ECTAC to launch a new project aimed expanding educational opportunities for Afghan students in Termez, with a particular focus on youth and women. 

The center offers a wider range of courses, from technical and vocational training to languages  and humanities. During a tour of the center, the Resident Coordinators spoke to one of the current students, 17-year-old Shekiba Samadi who was born and raised in Jowzjan province located in the northern part of Afghanistan. 

Sheikia has been studying Uzbek language and literature at the center for the last 3 years.

"I really love reading and literature. During the last 3 years of my stay in Uzbekistan, I got familiarized well with Uzbek history and culture and with the help of my teachers studied foreign languages. Now I can read literature and books in Persian, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkish and Russian languages," she mentions. Ahmad Javid Anis, from Sari Pul province in Afghanistan also studies Uzbek at the Centre. He told Dr. Alakbarov that has become so proficient at the language that he is now translating various Uzbek books into Pashto, including a book written by the President of Uzbekistan. 

"My future dream is to continue doing research in Uzbek language and literature. I also want to educate the younger generation in my home country and to serve the bright future of Afghanistan." Returning to the UN country office in Afghanistan at the end of the joint mission to Termez, Resident Coordinator Dr. Alakbarov felt inspired from what he saw and hopeful despite the challenges ahead. 

Afghanistan remains at a critical juncture. The road ahead for many Afghans may be uncertain, but the joint mission highlighted that the people of Afghanistan can turn to their neighbor to the north for support and solidarity during this extraordinary time. 

Together with other regional UN agencies and partners, the Resident Coordinator’s team in Afghanistan is more determined than ever to scale up its operations and ensure that no one is left behind.

"We are not going to stop. We are going to deliver more and reach every family in Afghanistan." This story was written by Iona Allan of the UN Development Coordination Office with inputs from UN Afghanistan and UN Uzbekistan.  To learn more about the UN humanitarian response in Afghanistan, please read this story.  To learn more about the results of our work in this area and beyond, please read the latest UNSDG Chair Report on DCO.

“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

Malika rolls up her 4-year-old daughter’s sleeve revealing an alarmingly thin arm. Little Parwana came with her mother to the UNICEF-supported health facility at the nick of time. She has little energy, her skin is dry and wrinkled and her cheeks are hollow. She weighs just 9 kgs, while she should be twice that weight at her age and height. As the nutrition counsellor wraps the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) strip around Parwana’s thin arm - MUAC a simple measurement that allows health workers to quickly determine if a child is acutely malnourished - the diagnosis is confirmed: severe acute malnutrition. Across Afghanistan, an estimated 3.2 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this coming year. And UNICEF warns that without urgent action, over 1 million children under the age of 5 are at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition. As soon as the nutrition counsellor diagnoses Parwana with severe acute malnutrition, her mother goes to the pharmacy to collect 28 sachets of Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a fortified peanut paste that helps children recover from malnutrition. UNICEF, the sole provider of RUTF in Afghanistan, has been sending hundreds of thousands lifesaving RUTF sachets all over the country. According to UNICEF’s tracking data, the number of children treated for severe acute malnutrition increased from about 30,000 children in October to 54,000 children in November. Even though children like Parwana are now in treatment, the situation is dire for millions who are at risk as families go hungry. After a dry winter, a weak harvest and drought, almost half of the people in Afghanistan do not have enough food to eat. Many don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Parwana’s mother says that since her husband lost his job, the family has struggled financially. He used to buy chickens from farms and sell them in the market, but some days there are no customers – and no money. On those days, a glass of hot tea and bread is the only sustenance the family has. As a result of prolonged hunger, Parwana’s stomach hurts. She winces and cries when she tries to eat, her mother tells us. The impact of eating the nutritious peanut paste is almost immediate. Energized by her nourishing RUTF and feeling a little stronger, Parwana begins to interact with people around her.  Lifting her head, she gently smiles and squeezes the finger of a UNICEF staff-member at the clinic. The nutrition counsellor asks Malika to return to the clinic with her daughter in seven days’ time for more tests and more peanut paste. This cycle will continue until Parwaneh is healthy. Two weeks later, as Parwana comes in for another check-up, she is visibly healthier. Her cheeks are rosier, and she has moved up one centimeter in the Mid-Upper Arm Circumference test and gained a kilogram in weight. She leaves the clinic with another armful of the nourishing peanut paste. As well as distributing the life-saving RUTF sachets, UNICEF is also doubling the number of nutrition counsellors and mobile health and nutrition teams so that children in the most remote areas can be tested and treated. UNICEF is also providing supplies and funding at 1,400 nutrition sites across the country, where we will support more nurses and health workers to identify and treat children quickly. UNICEF plans to expand these services further in 2022.