Today, the United States, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announced a $30 million commitment to support gender equality and women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. This funding will be programmed through the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
The “Enabling Essential Services for Afghan Women and Girls” activity will increase Afghan women and girls’ access to social protection services; provide resources and support to women-led civil society organizations working to advance women’s rights in Afghanistan; and increasing women’s economic empowerment through skills training and business development and entrepreneurship support.
The Taliban heavily restricted the most fundamental human rights for Afghan women and girls. Many women and girls have been instructed by the Taliban to stay at home. Women were not allowed to work – except in certain professions such as healthcare. In most provinces, girls are not allowed to attend school beyond the sixth grade, and women who attend university face significant harassment. Violence against women and girls in general has increased. Human rights defenders and journalists are targeted and threatened by the Taliban for defending their freedoms, and the Taliban has increasingly restricted the space for women-led civil society organizations to operate freely and independently.
This USAID funding reaffirms the US government’s commitment to supporting Afghan women and girls as they struggle to enjoy human rights and opportunity. This funding will provide direct support to Afghan women’s civil society organizations, which have been the backbone of Afghanistan’s decades-long women’s rights movement. As women and girls face rising rates of gender-based violence in Afghanistan, this funding for UN Women will also provide women and girls survivors of violence with access to free and safe accommodation, legal and medical assistance, psychosocial support, counseling and training. professional. The funding will also help UN Women respond to the urgent and immediate livelihood needs of Afghan women and build income security through private sector partnerships that will create employment opportunities and help Afghan women launch or rebuild their micro, small or medium businesses.
