UN Warns Up to 30% of Staff in Afghanistan Women-Led Organisations Could Be Laid Off

The United Nations warned that up to 30% of staff in Afghanistan’s women-led organisations could be laid off due to severe funding shortages.

UN Women has warned that women-led organisations in Afghanistan may be forced to lay off up to 30 percent of their female employees due to severe funding cuts, raising fears of an even deeper humanitarian and protection crisis for women and girls.

In a statement posted Monday on X as part of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the agency said these organisations form the “backbone” of Afghanistan’s support network for women and girls, providing legal aid, safe spaces, counselling, and access to basic services.

The UN added that many women-led civil society groups are now operating with sharply reduced budgets. Earlier assessments showed that these organisations have already lost around one-fifth of their funding since the Taliban returned to power.

The warning comes at a time when access to services for women has sharply deteriorated. With previous protection systems dismantled and civil society restricted, millions of Afghan women and girls now have nowhere to turn for help, UN Women said.

Humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan continue to worsen. OCHA warned on Monday, December 8 that more than 17 million people are expected to face hunger and severe humanitarian need in 2026, driven by economic collapse, drought, displacement and shrinking aid supplies.

The situation has further deteriorated due to Taliban restrictions banning Afghan women from working with the United Nations and aid agencies in most provinces for nearly three months, a policy that has severely limited humanitarian access to vulnerable families.

At the same time, the return of displaced Afghans has intensified pressure on already strained services. Iranian media reported that more than 1.8 million Afghan migrants were deported or forced to return from Iran this year alone, with thousands more returning from Pakistan.

UN agencies and rights groups warn that without urgent funding and the reinstatement of women’s participation in humanitarian work, millions of Afghanistan women and girls risk becoming “invisible, unprotected, and unreachable.”

Humanitarian organisations are calling on the international community to restore funding, protect frontline Afghanistan women-led groups, and ensure that aid operations remain inclusive and gender-responsive despite escalating restrictions.

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