UNESCO urges the international community to pressure the Taliban to restore women's education in Afghanistan

SadaNews - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called on the international community to exert pressure on the Taliban movement to restore women's education in Afghanistan, four years after the movement seized power.

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, stated: "At a time when some are seeking to normalize relations with the Taliban, I urge the international community to remain more mobilized than ever for the full and unconditional restoration of Afghan women's right to education." She added that since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the group has issued more than 70 decrees that restrict the rights of girls and women, particularly in education.

The United Nations urged continued diplomatic pressure on the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, noting that the group's decision to ban girls from education has deprived millions of studying since they regained power four years ago.

She continued: "Today, Afghanistan unfortunately appears as the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is strictly banned for girls and women."

According to UNESCO, approximately 2.2 million girls have been deprived of the right to education in Afghanistan since the return of the Taliban.

Azoulay warned that a whole generation of Afghan women is at risk, despite the significant gains made in literacy and school enrollment over the past twenty years with the support of UNESCO.

Russia, which Azoulay did not mention in her statements, is the only country that has recognized the Taliban government since it seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 following the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country.

She added: "A whole generation of Afghan women is being sacrificed."

The Taliban government has also expelled thousands of women from government jobs, barred them from going to public parks, and ordered them to wear hijabs in public places.

Additionally, an Afghan official announced on Thursday that the Taliban plans to drop a massive number of flowers from helicopters over Kabul to mark the fourth anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan. The Taliban took control of the country on August 15, 2021, just weeks before the United States and NATO withdrew their forces after two decades of costly war.

Habib Ghafran, spokesman for the Ministry of Information and Culture, stated in a statement that helicopters from the Ministry of Defense will perform a "beautiful aerial show" over the Afghan capital on Friday to "shower the city" with colorful flowers. Ghafran added that there will be sports displays by Afghan athletes from noon until early evening. These planned celebrations come as Afghanistan struggles with a massive influx of refugees from neighboring countries, a troubled economy, and a decrease in foreign funding, especially from the United States.

About 10 million people face severe food insecurity, while one in three children suffers from stunted growth. Taliban flags in black and white were displayed across Kabul on Thursday. Ihsanullah Khan, a resident of the northern province of Sar-e Pol, encouraged the Afghan diaspora to return to see how peaceful the country is and how happy the people are.

Meanwhile, the United Nations confirmed on Thursday its commitment to strict rules in the distribution of international aid in Afghanistan, after an American report accused it of "corruption" in awarding contracts.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan affirmed that it "takes seriously any allegations of misconduct and corruption," noting that it has "carefully reviewed" the American report addressing aid distribution in Afghanistan. The report deemed the distribution process poor, noting that the Taliban government is seizing aid.

In its statement, the UN mission confirmed that it is implementing "strict protection and risk assessment measures" as the aid is subject to "attempts at interference" from the Taliban government.

The SIGAR report mentioned that Washington contributed 36 percent of the $10.72 billion in aid disbursed to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power, that is, between August 2021 and August 2025.