EU Envoy: Empowering Afghan Women is Key to Economic Resilience

The European Union’s representative in Afghanistan has underscored that the empowerment of Afghan women is not just a fundamental right, but a critical prerequisite for the nation’s economic survival and long-term stability.

Veronika Boskovic Pohar, the EU Chargée d’Affaires for Afghanistan, made the remarks on Sunday in commemoration of International Women’s Day. In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Pohar emphasized the decisive and irreplaceable role Afghan women play in shaping their country’s future.

“Empowering women economically is not only a matter of rights; it is essential for Afghanistan’s economic resilience,” Pohar wrote. She stressed that strengthening women’s participation in the economy is vital for achieving long-term stability and sustainable development in the war-torn country.

Her message serves as a pointed reminder of the vast potential being left untapped, as Afghan women continue to face severe and systematic restrictions on their education, employment, and participation in public life under the Taliban administration.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the de facto authorities have imposed a series of sweeping edicts that have effectively erased women from vast swathes of public and economic life. Girls have been barred from attending secondary schools and universities, and women face wide-ranging limitations on working in both the public and private sectors, including with non-governmental organizations and the United Nations.

These policies have had a devastating impact. They have forced many families to lose crucial sources of income, particularly in female-headed households, and have dramatically shrunk women’s participation in Afghanistan’s social and economic fabric. International organizations, including the EU, the UN, and myriad human rights groups, have repeatedly warned that the systematic exclusion of women from education and the workforce will deepen inequality, fuel humanitarian crises, and irreversibly hinder Afghanistan’s long-term development and prospects for self-sufficiency.

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