Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), has issued a warning that funding cuts to Afghanistan are the biggest threat to efforts to support the country's women, Winnipeg Free Press reported.
Speaking on January 19, Egeland highlighted the devastating impact that reduced financial support for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian programs is having on Afghan women and girls.
Egeland pointed out that, in 2023, the NRC’s aid reached only 491,435 people, a significant decrease from 772,484 people in 2022, with women comprising half of the agency's beneficiaries. In 2022, that number had fallen to 216,501. He emphasized that the biggest threat facing Afghan women today is the lack of funding, which has led to program cuts by various aid agencies.
The chief of the NRC, who has visited Afghanistan multiple times since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, stressed that the lack of education is also a major obstacle for Afghan women.
“The biggest threat to the future well-being of Afghan women is the lack of education,” Egeland stated.
The situation worsened after the Taliban’s return to power, which led to widespread poverty and hunger as foreign aid was abruptly halted. Sanctions, halted bank transfers, and the freezing of Afghanistan's currency reserves further hindered the country’s access to much-needed financial support.
Despite these challenges, the NRC and other organizations have continued to provide vital public services, including education, healthcare, nutrition, and immunization programs. However, the situation for women and girls remains dire, with restrictions on healthcare and education further exacerbated by Taliban policies, including a shortage of female medical professionals.
Egeland noted that while the international community had once committed to prioritizing education and human rights for Afghan women, the current reality has made it increasingly difficult to fund even basic livelihood programs for widows and single mothers.
“Now we can’t even fund livelihood programming for widows and single mothers,” he remarked in a phone interview from Herat, in western Afghanistan.
Despite the challenges, the NRC and other agencies are urging the global community to continue its support for Afghanistan, emphasizing the long-term consequences of cutting aid. Egeland also highlighted that most of his discussions with Taliban officials during his visit centered on the reopening of schools for girls. However, the Taliban have yet to agree on conditions that would allow for the resumption of education, with authorities stating that the timing is not yet right.
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