The Afghan economy and especially regions affected by the devastating earthquakes in October last year, \u201care still hurting\u201d, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said on Thursday, as restrictions on women and girls continue to thwart basic rights and economic progress. Kanni Wignaraja, Director of UNDP\u2019s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, who recently visited the country, told reporters in New York that 69 per cent of Afghans are \u201csubsistence insecure\u201d \u2013 meaning they do not have enough basic resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething that really hit me \u2026 was the harsh impact of continuous natural disasters,\u201d she said, adding that many parts of Afghanistan are facing \u201cdramatic\u201d scarcity of water further setting back development efforts. Since the takeover by the Taliban in 2021, the Afghan economy has contracted by 27 per cent, leading to economic stagnation, according to UNDP. Unemployment has doubled and only 40 per cent of the population has access to electricity. Sectors such as finance have \u201cbasically collapsed\u201d and there are no major sources of economic activity such as exports or public expenditure, leaving small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and farmers as the lifeblood of the faltering economy. She also voiced concern over the situation of women and girls. There have been severe restrictions on women imposed by the Taliban, such as on their dress code and employment in various sectors. While they can work without restriction in sectors such as health or nursing, their employment in the public sector dropped even further to about six per cent, Ms. Wignaraja said. \u201cThe biggest challenge is the continued edict that bans girls\u2019 education. Not being able to move forward after the sixth grade is a major stumbling block,\u201d she added. \u201cLast year, no girl graduated the twelfth grade so how are they going to jump from sixth grade to moving into technical colleges or universities need for the medical field?\u201d she exclaimed. The UNDP official also noted the challenges facing local economies and the lack of capital, especially in the private sector. UNDP is supporting microfinance initiatives, but with no cash flowing through the system, results are not at the level and scale required to spur growth. She expressed hope that recent funds from the World Bank for climate projects could prompt other global climate cash investments. \u201cWe can still work directly with the community to make this happen,\u201d she said. Ms. Wignaraja also visited Herat province, the epicentre of last October\u2019s earthquakes. \u201cJust driving through villages and talking to villagers, there is a huge contrast,\u201d she said, noting that there are whole villages still living in tents without access to water and those that are starting to build permanent structures. \u201cFor me the bottom line is that we have to let household economies and local economies pick back up. People do not want to live in tents, they cannot survive the sandstorms in tents,\u201d she added. In conclusion, the UNDP official highlighted the agency\u2019s support to some 75,000 women-owned and women-led micro and small businesses. \u201cThey in turn employ about, on average, six other women and young people. Each of them feeds a household of ten,\u201d she said, noted that in total about 4.5 million people benefit. \u201cWe spend on average $42 a month per women\u2019s business \u2013 that\u2019s it,\u201d she added, underscoring the resilience and boldness of women entrepreneurs. Overall, with women farmers and traders, as well as direct cash support and household social protection prorgrammes, UNDP has reached one quarter of women across Afghanistan, she said. \u201cThe story of this country will come back through their boldness and efforts,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Afghan economy and especially regions affected by the devastating earthquakes in October last year, \u201care still hurting\u201d, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said on Thursday, as restrictions on women and girls continue to thwart basic rights and economic progress. Kanni Wignaraja, Director of UNDP\u2019s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, who recently visited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[85],"class_list":{"0":"post-392303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-united-nations"},"yoast_head":"\n