KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan faces worsening humanitarian, economic, and human rights crises as the Taliban continue to “miss or reject” opportunities to engage with the international community, the acting head of the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
During the council’s quarterly meeting on Afghanistan, Georgette Gagnon briefed members on the country’s situation, saying the Afghan people “continue to endure multiple crises,” with their resilience now “under severe strain,” and called for urgent international support.
She highlighted that women and girls remain “systematically excluded” from public life, with bans on secondary and higher education now in their fourth year. She added that many skilled women returning to Afghanistan will not be allowed to contribute to the economy under current restrictions.
Gagnon said media freedom is shrinking, with journalists facing intimidation, detention and censorship, narrowing space for public debate. She also noted that Afghans continue to face “systematic infringements” on their daily lives under the Taliban’s virtue and vice regulations.
The humanitarian crisis remains severe, she said, with over 23 million Afghans expected to need aid in 2026. The return of nearly 2.5 million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan this year has increased the population by 6% and deepened economic and social pressures.
“Many returnees arrive with few possessions,” she said, adding that the economy is too weak to provide jobs or basic services. She warned that per-capita income is falling for a third straight year despite modest GDP growth.
She warned that donor countries are “increasingly frustrated” by the Taliban’s refusal to respond seriously to international concerns. “The de facto authorities continue to miss or reject opportunities to engage multilaterally,” she said.
Gagnon also criticized the Taliban’s ban on UN female national staff, saying it violates their rights and the UN Charter, and “is a barrier” to the mission’s work. “We need your further support to ensure this situation does not become normalized,” she told the council.
On security, she said Afghanistan appears “outwardly calm” but tensions with Pakistan over Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are rising, leading to deadly cross-border fire and airstrikes. She called on both sides to respect the ceasefire and address core issues through dialogue.
Gagnon said the UN has put forward a political roadmap under the Doha process aimed at helping Afghanistan meet international obligations and move toward reintegration into the global community. “The objective is not the reintegration of Afghanistan under the de facto authorities as they currently are,” she said, but only once they meet international obligations.
“Despite the serious issues described, an opportunity exists to build on the current relative stability,” she concluded, calling for continued Security Council support to “build bridges of engagement” toward an Afghanistan at peace and respectful of the rights of all its citizens.
