UN Women unveiled the 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index, warning of an “unprecedented assault” on Afghan women’s rights nearly four years after the Taliban returned to power.
Presenting the findings at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Sofia Calltorp, UN Women’s Chief of Humanitarian Action, called the gender gap in Afghanistan “devastating,” highlighting that Afghan women are achieving only 17 percent of their potential compared to a global average of 60.7 percent.
“The report reveals that Afghanistan now has the second-widest gender gap in the world,” she said. “No women hold positions in the de facto Cabinet or subnational governance structures.”
The Index—Afghanistan’s most comprehensive gender equality assessment since 2021—evaluates progress across eight Sustainable Development Goals. Among its most alarming findings: nearly eight in ten young Afghan women are excluded from education, employment, or training—four times the rate for men. Women’s participation in the workforce has dropped by 25 percent over 18 months, with most relegated to low-paid, insecure, or informal roles.
Despite these constraints, Calltorp emphasized that Afghan women continue to persevere. “They are still running businesses, advocating for their rights, and even negotiating with the authorities,” she said.
UN Women urged international donors to increase long-term, flexible support for women-led civil society organizations, ensure that at least 30 percent of funding to Afghanistan promotes gender equality, and guarantee Afghan women’s participation in decision-making about the country’s future.
“The choices we make now,” Calltorp said, “will show whether we truly stand for the rights of women and girls.”
