XUNICEF News and Views

The Afghan people are trapped in a "double jeopardy" caused by Taliban repression and punitive international economic policies.

Title: Afghanistan’s Madrasa System under the Taliban Author: Afghanistan Human Rights Center Publication: Afghanistan Human Rights Center Date: 27 January 2025

Title: Pakistan and Afghanistan: a call for health diplomacy and restraint Author: Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Fawad Akbari, Shabina Raza, Suraya Dalil Publication: The Lancet Date: June 19, 2026

Unbelievable cruelty against women & girls as Taliban plunges Afghanistan into a new nadir in the name of Islam, justifying enslavement of women. Yet little outrage from the leaders of @OIC_OCI & others professing respect for human rights.  Yet little outrage from the leaders of Islamic countries and others professing respect for human rights.  Hard to believe this is happening in the 21 st  century.  Kul

What is Happening to Afghan Refugees in Iran: A Humanitarian and Moral Crisis by Niloufar Pourzand Summary In her talk at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies, Niloufar Pourzand described the accelerating expulsion of Afghan refugees from Iran as one of the gravest human rights crises in the region. She recalled two decades of professional and personal connection to Afghanistan and condemned the forced return of up to two million Afghans from Iran in 2025, calling the deportations a violation of international law and fundamental human rights conventions. The mass expulsions, she explained, intensified after the June 2025 war involving Israel and the United States and have left countless families destitute, separated, and stateless.

NEW YORK, 17 September 2025 “It has been four years since adolescent girls in Afghanistan were barred from attending school beyond grade 6. By the end of 2025, more than 2.2 million adolescent girls will have been excluded from education. “With more than 2 million Afghans returned from neighboring countries this year, the number of girls unable to attend school will rise further.

Maryam Naiby / ZanTV   Click here for the article The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has announced that Taliban forces have prevented Afghan female UN staff from entering the organization’s offices in Kabul and the provinces.

© Ashiqullah Mandozai / Save the Children Thousands of children at risk after devastating earthquake hits eastern Afghanistan Dr. Oyewale KABUL, 1 September 2025 – “A powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late last night, with its epicentre near Jalalabad in Nangarhar province. Early reports indicate a significant loss of life, including many children, with hundreds of fatalities and thousands injured, alongside widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure. The number of casualties is expected to rise as assessments continue.

  Meanwhile in Afghanistan... UAI Comms Click here for the article Summary The article highlights how Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis remains largely ignored amid other global conflicts, despite severe and worsening conditions after more than four decades of war, occupation, and corrupt governance.

Afghanistan after nearly three years away For me Afghanistan is the people, the friends I have known for decades, and others I meet on the street, who smile, ask if they can help, put their hand to their heart to greet you. Kathy Gannon

Article shared by Niloufar Pourzand   Click here for the article    Summary   In the wake of Israel’s bombings in Iran and a new government crackdown, tens of thousands of Afghans have been expelled from Iran, many forcibly and under degrading conditions. Afghans report being harassed, arbitrarily detained, having valid documents invalidated, and facing systemic exclusion from basic services. 

Instagram post shared by Niloufar Pourzand View this post on Instagram A post shared by KabulNow (@kabulnow.af)

“As a new school year begins in Afghanistan, it marks three years since the start of the ban on girls' secondary education. This decision continues to harm the future of millions of Afghan girls. If this ban persists until 2030, over four million girls will have been deprived of their right to education beyond primary school.

  Article shared by Niloufar Pourzand Fawzia was Programme Assistant with UNICEF Badakhshan, non-Taliban areas, in the late 1990s, when Taliban was first in power.

Darya (her artist name) is a young Afghan woman, mentioned in the final pages of my memoir, My University of the World: Adventures of an International Film and Media Maker . She contacted me in November 2021, after the Taliban had taken control again in her country. She’s an example of resilience in the face of difficult circumstances—something needed by all of us who cherish human rights and freedom today, given the recent political changes in the U.S. and trends in other countries. She uses her art for social change.

Statement shared by Niloufar Pourzand “I am deeply alarmed by reports that the de facto authorities in Afghanistan plan to ban women from studying in medical faculties, including fields critical to the health of women and children such as nursing, midwifery, and gynaecology.

Various governments, led by Canada, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands, are pursuing measures to initiate ICJ legal proceedings against the IEA (Islamic Emirate Afgh) concerning gender discrimination.   This is quite unprecedented given, in part, that the Taliban regime is not a recognized government.

Canada, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands are taking The Taliban to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for gender discrimination. This is the first time the ICJ has been used by one country to take another to court over gender discrimination.