Kabul, December 5 – The European Union has issued a stark assessment, stating that women in Afghanistan are bearing the disproportionate and heaviest burden of the nation’s escalating poverty crisis amid severely shrinking livelihood opportunities. This declaration underscores urgent calls for enhanced international support and robust economic protection measures targeted at Afghan women.
In a statement released on Thursday by its delegation in Afghanistan, the EU detailed that as the country’s economic conditions continue to deteriorate, the situation for women has grown particularly dire. Systemic restrictions barring them from many sectors of public life and formal employment have drastically limited their means of survival.
“The women of Afghanistan continue to shoulder the highest burden of poverty,” the statement read, linking their economic exclusion directly to “ongoing restrictions” that deny them stable employment and sustainable livelihoods. The message coincided with the global “Orange the World” campaign, part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, with the EU reiterating its commitment to supporting Afghan women.
The outlined EU response includes funding programs focused on women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and initiatives aimed at building economic resilience through improved access to finance and skills development. “Economic empowerment remains one of the most effective ways to reduce vulnerability among women in Afghanistan,” the delegation emphasized, while also stressing that “continued international engagement” is critical.
The warning was echoed and expanded by UN agencies highlighting intersecting vulnerabilities. UN Women, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, reported that Afghan women experience some of the world’s most severe disability-related challenges. These challenges are profoundly exacerbated by the ban on girls’ education and severe constraints on women’s access to work and healthcare, leaving those with disabilities and their female caregivers in a state of extreme precarity.
Aid agencies are amplifying these alarms, cautioning that without immediate and targeted support, Afghan women risk being trapped in a deepening cycle of long-term, intergenerational poverty. They point to a concurrent reduction in humanitarian assistance funding and a continued contraction of economic opportunities as a recipe for catastrophe.
Human rights organizations are urging the international community to maintain both political pressure and financial support, framing the issue as foundational to any future stability. “A sustainable and inclusive recovery for Afghanistan is simply not possible if half its population remains excluded from public, economic, and educational life,” said one representative from a coalition of rights groups. They argue that the economic marginalization of women is not only a humanitarian crisis but also a critical barrier to any meaningful development in the country.
The combined statements from the EU, UN, and aid groups paint a comprehensive picture of a mounting emergency, where gender-specific restrictions are directly fueling a humanitarian and economic disaster, with Afghan women paying the highest price.
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