Translated with AI
The year 2026 has already proven to be "extremely difficult" for women and girls in Afghanistan due to the conflict in the Middle East and ongoing fighting on the border with Pakistan, UN Women Special Representative for Afghanistan Susan Ferguson said on Tuesday.
Speaking via video link from Kabul to reporters in New York, Susan Ferguson said the recent escalation in fighting has left at least 64,000 Afghans injured, about half of whom are women and girls.
She said this number includes thousands of families who were displaced again after living for six months in temporary camps following the August 2025 earthquake. They also include women and girls who recently returned from Iran or Pakistan.
Susan Ferguson noted that women in modern Afghanistan primarily need housing, medical care, and access to clean water. She also reiterated the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan's call for an immediate cessation of hostilities to prevent further civilian casualties and for all parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.
According to her, a sharp increase in the number of Afghans returning from Iran, including women traveling alone or with children, is expected in western Afghanistan in the coming weeks. She emphasized that UN Women and its partners are ready to deploy more humanitarian workers to the border to assist returning Afghan women, including with registration and providing necessary support.
Susan Ferguson said funding is urgently needed to meet these needs at such a critical time, stressing that women and girls in Afghanistan cannot withstand another economic shock.
She also noted that the current situation should not become the norm. According to her, when the international community begins to perceive what is happening in Afghanistan as normal, it stops believing in the possibility of change and ignores what is happening.
Addressing the international community, including participants at the Commission on the Status of Women session in New York, Susan Ferguson urged them not to accept what is happening as normal. She emphasized that, despite all the obstacles and limitations, Afghan women continue to demonstrate exceptional courage and determination, adding that change remains possible with continued international support.
