KABUL — Tom Fletcher, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said after visiting Kunduz province that women in Afghanistan are not asking to be rescued, but to be seen, heard, and supported in reclaiming their rights amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
“A brilliant female colleague on the front line of the humanitarian effort said to me that as women in Afghanistan, we don’t want to be saved. We want to be seen. We want to be heard,” Fletcher said, echoing the message of Afghan women during his recent visits to Kabul, Kandahar and Kunduz.
In remarks reflecting both anguish and urgency, Fletcher described the impact of deepening funding cuts on Afghan women, particularly in northern provinces like Kunduz. “These cuts are not theoretical,” he said. “They are hitting women like these — women of great courage and hope and resilience.”
He recounted meeting women who are eager to return to schools and universities but remain shut out under Taliban restrictions. Others, he said, have suffered life-altering consequences from the collapse of local healthcare infrastructure.
“In Kunduz, I met women who have had to cycle three hours while heavily pregnant to reach the nearest hospital — because all nearby clinics have closed — only to lose their children as a result,” he said.
Since April, aid cuts have forced closures of critical health facilities across the country, placing basic care out of reach for many rural families. Fletcher emphasized that these stories are not isolated cases but the reality for millions, especially for women already pushed to the margins.
“The women of Afghanistan say they don’t want to be saved. They want to be heard. Please listen to them,” Fletcher urged.
