KABUL, Afghanistan — The European Union’s top diplomat in Afghanistan on Thursday warned that the continued social and economic exclusion of women is costing the country nearly $1 billion in lost economic potential, and urged the Taliban to adopt more inclusive policies to rebuild trust.
“We need more conducive policies, especially for women’s empowerment,” Veronika Boskovic Pohar, the EU chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan, said at an event in Kabul on Thursday. “Social and economic exclusion creates a cumulative economic loss of $920 million — 5.8 percent of GDP between 2024 and 2026. This undermines trust. After all, it’s all about trust.”
The EU said it remains committed to supporting the Afghan people and emphasized the importance of policies that foster self-sufficiency and inclusion, particularly in the face of ongoing economic hardship.
Women and girls in Afghanistan have faced sweeping restrictions since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Female access to education beyond the sixth grade, public sector jobs, and many forms of movement and expression have been sharply curtailed — drawing widespread international condemnation and affecting aid and investment flows.
Economic analysts have repeatedly warned that excluding women from the workforce will not only deepen poverty but severely constrain Afghanistan’s economic recovery.
