KABUL, Afghanistan — The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has warned that the Taliban’s escalating restrictions on women’s rights and employment could cost Afghanistan’s economy up to $1 billion over the next two years.
The agency said that women in Afghanistan are facing increasing limitations on their ability to work, access public spaces, and participate in social life — a trend that has deepened since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021.
Before the Taliban takeover, women made up 19 percent of Afghanistan’s labor force, according to the UNDP. By 2021, that number had dropped significantly, and between 2022 and 2023, women’s participation in the workforce had declined to just 6 percent.
The report highlights that Afghanistan is grappling with overlapping socio-economic crises, including climate change, frequent earthquakes, food insecurity, fragile livelihoods, and restricted access to basic services. Women, the UNDP noted, bear a disproportionate share of the burden.
Despite the constraints, the UN agency said it has worked to provide access to essential services and infrastructure for 8 million women in Afghanistan. It also reported supporting small and medium-sized businesses led by women, promoting climate resilience, and backing farmers involved in poppy substitution efforts.
According to the report, the UNDP invested $4 million directly and an additional $34 million indirectly last year toward programs aimed at empowering women socially and economically.
As a result of these investments, the agency estimates that approximately 80,000 women-led small businesses were launched in 2023, creating close to 400,000 jobs — the majority of them for women — across the country.
