3 EQ3 - Afghanistan

What is the basic info for Afghanistan?

* A landlocked LIDC
* Development has been held back by a long period of political instability and armed conflict
* The Taliban were in control of ==90%== of the country before 2001, when they were overthrown by the USA and its allies
* In 2021, after the withdrawal of NATO troops, the Taliban came back into power. This has led to a sharp increase the human rights abuses in the country and has reversed much of the work done by NGOs

What are the human rights issues in Afghanistan?

* High numbers of casualties
* By 2019, ==45,000== members of the Afghan security force had been killed plus ==32,00==0 civilians
* Restricted socio-economic development
* Low GDP per capita
* ==55%== of the population live below the poverty line
* Low life expectancy
* Average of just ==3.8 years== of schooling
* Children are deprived of basic rights
* For example access to education, food, water, health care
* Widespread food insecurity
* Drought has worsened this significantly and the Taliban is unable to provide adequate food supplies

What are the gender inequality issues in Afghanistan?

* High Maternal Mortality Rates
* Low percent of women in parliament
* Only ==12%== of women have any secondary education
* ==87%== of women endure physical, sexual or emotional abuse

What was the UN doing to help rural communities in Afghanistan?

UNICEF promoted rural development by:

* promoting community based schools
* protected children from child marriage and child labour
* prevented the recruitment of children into armed groups
* gave nutrition education to reduce malnutrition

How was the government addressing human rights issues in Afghanistan?

* 27% of seats in government were held by women in 2019
* Ratified human rights treaties such as CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of Children
* Attempted to make the election process more democratic

What was the UN doing to help urban communities in Afghanistan?

UN Habitat (for urban developments) was helping the Afghan government:

* Advising and assisting the government with urban policies
* Helping with strategic urban planning
* Rapid growth and poor planning has deprived many in Kabul of basic services

How is the UN helping Afghanistan?

* UNAMA, the UN’s mission in Afghanistan has the following aims:
* promote equality for women and girls
* encourage economic stability
* encourage inclusive governance
* UNICEF promotes the rights of women and children
* The UN World Food Programme has a vital role in terms of food security in the country

How have the human rights efforts in Afghanistan been interrupted by the takeover of the Taliban?

* Human rights have become even more threatened because of the takeover in August 2021
* Several high profile NGOs have left Afghanistan since the takeover because they believe they can no longer effectively reach people without the women in their workforces
* These include CARE and Save the Children
* Women have been banned from attending university and secondary school
* Freedom of expression in the media has been severely limited
* Widespread food insecurity