What changed

B100417/2025

B100425/2025

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Afghanistan: supporting women and communities affected by the recent earthquakes

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Afghanistan, in particular its resolution of 19 September 2024 on the deteriorating situation of women in Afghanistan due to the recent adoption of the law on the ‘Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’,

– having regard to the conclusions of the third meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan, held in Doha from 30 June to 1 July 2024,

– having regard to the World Food Programme’s Annual Country Report for Afghanistan in 2024,

– having regard to the Human Development Index published in the Human Development Report 2021/2022 of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),

– having regard to the European Consensus on Development,

– having regard to the International Crisis Group report entitled ‘Afghanistan: The Taliban Restrict Women’s Rights, Worsening the Humanitarian Crisis’, published in 2023,

– having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General entitled ‘The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security’,

– having regard to UNICEF’s humanitarian appeal for 2025,

– having regard to the Afghanistan emergency appeal for 2025 of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR),

– having regard to UNICEF’s Afghanistan earthquake response appeal for 2025,

– having regard to the International Organization for Migration’s Afghanistan Crisis Response Plan 2025,

– having regard to the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Appeal 2025,

– having regard to the International Criminal Court’s ruling of January 2025 concerning Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani,

– having regard to the principle of non-refoulement under international law,

– having regard to the judgment of the Court of Justice of 16 January 2024 in case C-621/21 on protection for women facing gender-based violence,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas a strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan on 31 August 2025, affecting Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman Provinces, resulting in over 2 200 deaths, thousands of injuries and the destruction of more than 6 500 homes;

A. whereas on 31 August 2025 a deadly 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit the province of Kunar in east Afghanistan, causing over 2 200 deaths and thousands of injuries in both Kunar and the neighbouring province, Nangarhar; whereas more than 6 700 homes were destroyed, with entire villages being reduced to rubble, leaving at least 11 000 people living in tents at the brink of winter; whereas many families have been left without shelter, increasing the risk of hypothermia as temperatures drop in the mountainous regions; whereas global humanitarian aid cuts have had a severe impact on the crisis response;

B. whereas the earthquake was the third major deadly quake to hit Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in 2021; whereas women and young girls were yet again disproportionally affected by the impact;

B. whereas the Taliban’s restrictive regime has left Afghanistan severely isolated internationally, resulting in slow international relief; whereas the consequences of the gender-apartheid imposed by the Taliban regime have had a severe impact on the aid response for women and girls; whereas a lack of female doctors and strict travel restrictions for women and girls have contributed to a high death toll; whereas women have been disproportionately affected by the earthquake owing to the Taliban’s strict social code, which prevents male volunteers from touching women, thus hampering rescue efforts and medical treatment;

C. whereas access to healthcare for women injured in the earthquake remains severely limited due to a shortage of female doctors and crippling restrictions imposed by the Taliban preventing women from being treated by male doctors, thus leaving many women and girls without adequate medical care;

C. whereas according to the Human Development Index published in the UNDP Human Development Report 2021/2022, Afghanistan was ranked 180th out of 191 countries; whereas four years after the Taliban assumed power, over 9.5 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity, with 4.7 million women and children in need of treatment for malnutrition; whereas 1.5 million girls have been banned from attending secondary school, and primary school attendance has dropped sharply; whereas the formal youth unemployment rate has increased to almost 17 %;

D. whereas since 5 September 2025, the Taliban have prevented Afghan women staff and contractors from entering UN compounds in Kabul, severely restricting the delivery of humanitarian aid to women and girls;

D. whereas according to the World Health Organization, 422 health facilities in Afghanistan have shut down on account of funding shortages, affecting 3.08 million people across 30 provinces; whereas Afghanistan is experiencing multiple health emergencies, including outbreaks of measles, malaria, dengue, polio and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever; whereas Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios globally; whereas Afghanistan’s critical maternal health challenges are exacerbated by ongoing conflict, limited healthcare infrastructure, and socio-economic barriers;

E. whereas since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed a radical interpretation and enforcement of Sharia law, resulting in the almost complete erasure of women and girls from public life; whereas this has been enforced through sweeping restrictions, including bans on attending secondary and higher education, prohibitions on engaging in most forms of employment, denial of access to public spaces and sports, the imposition of strict dress codes, the dismantling of support systems for victims of violence, and requirements that women travel only with a male guardian; whereas further decrees, such as the December 2024 prohibition on women pursuing medical education or sitting final medical examinations, have drastically reduced the number of female medical professionals;

E. whereas the country remains one of the world’s most acute hunger hotspots, grappling with a multitude of challenges, including ongoing conflict, economic instability, environmental disasters and political restrictions; whereas between January and October 2024 there were over 1.1 million returnees to Afghanistan, putting pressure on communities already under strain; whereas there are 3.2 million internally displaced persons, and 5.3 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring countries;

F. whereas urgent humanitarian needs include emergency shelter, blankets, cooking utensils, cash assistance, mental health and psychosocial support, safe spaces, and preparations for the winter for tens of thousands of women and girls;

F. whereas the EU rightfully does not maintain relations with the de facto Afghani authorities; whereas EU-Afghanistan relations are at their lowest point since July 2021, when the last interparliamentary meeting between Parliament and representatives of the National Assembly of Afghanistan took place;

G. whereas in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the EU approved EUR 1 million in humanitarian emergency funding to address the most urgent needs of the affected population; whereas this additional round of assistance complements the EUR 161 million in humanitarian aid already earmarked in 2025 for organisations across Afghanistan; whereas EU humanitarian aid in the country is solely channelled through humanitarian partners;

1. Expresses deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Kunar and Nangarhar as a result of the earthquakes, extends condolences to the families of the victims and urges international actors to help deliver support on the ground for survivors as soon as possible; insists on scaling up emergency responses for underserved populations, assisting returning migrants at border points, and enhancing maternal and child healthcare services in particular; calls on the de facto authorities to lift all restrictions that limit access to or the distribution of humanitarian aid; strongly condemns measures of repression such as the recent internet shutdown imposed by the Taliban across the country; reiterates that this further isolates the people of Afghanistan, in particular women, and negatively impacts the already fragile economy and aid operations; calls on the de facto authorities to refrain from adopting such a practice in the future;

H. whereas female humanitarian workers, supported by UN Women and other UN agencies, have played a critical role in reaching affected villages, providing healthcare and psychosocial support, distributing aid and serving as a bridge for women and young girls;

2. Takes note of the UN’s emergency appeal for EUR 131.2 million to help half a million people affected by earthquakes; recalls UNICEF’s emergency appeal for EUR 1.12 billion to provide access to education, healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation and psychosocial support, especially taking into account the external policy chapter of the upcoming multiannual financial framework; approves of the extra EUR 14 million allocated to the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme by the Commission; notes, however, that humanitarian relief is still sorely needed and calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up their emergency humanitarian support for the people of Afghanistan;

I. whereas the Taliban have brazenly and systematically violated international norms and resorted to highly repressive tactics, specifically targeting Afghanistan’s female population, ethnic minorities and human rights defenders;

3. Calls on the Commission to continue and, where possible, increase support for basic needs and livelihoods in Afghanistan, maintaining at least the current level of financing and increasing the national envelope where possible; calls on the Commission to continue working through the humanitarian-development-peace nexus; recalls that increasing poverty, the worsening humanitarian situation, the overall lack of prospects for a better future and internal displacement can result in increasing destabilisation and radicalisation, as well as displacement within Afghanistan and beyond its borders; welcomes the Commission’s intention to increase EU support for promoting resilience and integrated responses to fragility under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation – Global Europe instrument proposal and urges the Commission to reaffirm its financial support to Afghanistan and to allocate a dedicated amount to the country with the objective of contributing to its stabilisation;

J. whereas through a pattern of systematic violence, repression and censorship, the Taliban have alienated Afghanistan from the international community;

4. Notes with grave concern that Kunar and Nangarhar are the main entry routes for Afghan deportees from Iran and Pakistan returning through the Torkham crossing; expresses grave concern about the human rights violations taking place during these deportations; expresses great concern about the added strain on the humanitarian aid infrastructure in these provinces, caused by continued deportations; calls on Iran and Pakistan to immediately halt deportations; highlights, in this regard, the importance of adhering to the principle of non-refoulement, especially given the ongoing conflict and instability and the persecution of ethnic groups, women and political opponents since the Taliban assumed power in 2021; observes that these circumstances are leading to increased risks, especially for women, minorities and activists, as well as to an economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis; supports the UNHCR in strongly advocating for adherence to the principle of non-refoulement in the case of Afghans fleeing persecution;

K. whereas from 30 September to 2 October 2025, the Taliban imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, disrupting communication, flights, banking and essential services, and depriving millions of Afghans of access to information and education, in particular cutting off one of the last remaining lifelines for women and girls to pursue learning opportunities;

5. Asks the international community and the EU to guarantee cross‑border and post‑arrival humanitarian assistance for vulnerable undocumented returnees at major border crossing points with Pakistan and Iran, and to ensure the provision of emergency shelters and non‑food items, winterisation assistance, protection services, camp coordination and psychosocial support with a view to promoting a voluntary, safe and dignified return and local integration of returnees and people affected by displacement;

1. Strongly condemns the Taliban’s numerous gender-based restrictions and discriminatory policies that prevent Afghan women from accessing education, medical training, healthcare and humanitarian aid; deplores the recent removal of books authored by women from university curricula as part of a new ban that also outlaws the teaching of human rights and sexual harassment;

6. Notes with grave concern that 1 300 human rights defenders, journalists and other public figures who have supported the development of democracy in Afghanistan over the last decade are currently in Pakistan waiting to be admitted to EU Member States after obtaining documentation entitling them to legally remain in Pakistan while their asylum request is being processed; expresses deep concern at the ongoing deportations, which are now also targeting these groups; calls on the EU Member States to proceed as quickly as possible with the asylum applications of those at risk of deportation; recalls the judgment of the Court of Justice with regard to protecting female Afghan refugees from gender-based violence;

2. Expresses profound concern about the disproportionate impact of the recent earthquake on women and girls, including widespread loss of life, heightened risks of gender-based violence, inadequate healthcare, the destruction of livelihoods and lack of safe shelter;

7. Calls on the de facto authorities to lift all restrictions on women, and to rescind all 70 decrees that limit the lives of women; calls, in particular, for a lifting of all restrictions that ban women from the public space, such as travel restrictions and the ban on work and education; urges the de facto authorities to reopen medical education centres, given the country’s drastic shortage of female medical staff; notes that, in the UN context, the term gender apartheid is increasingly being used to refer to the situation in Afghanistan; calls for the EU to support the recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity;

3. Condemns the perpetration of female genital mutilation and other despicable forms of gender-based violence and discrimination, as well as the proliferation of child marriages;

8. Calls on the de facto authorities to permit women’s rights organisations to continue their work in Afghanistan; calls on the authorities to immediately lift all restrictions on women working for civil society organisations, both at local and international level; calls for the EU and its Member States to support grassroots women’s rights organisations and local female entrepreneurs wherever possible;

4. Calls for the immediate reinstatement of the full participation of women and girls in public life, in particular their access to education and the labour market; reiterates its calls for the EU and the Member States to take all necessary measures to allow Afghan women to meaningfully take part in international forums and negotiations;

9. Calls on the Member States to execute the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court in January 2025 against two Taliban leaders, Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, who are charged with crimes against humanity for the persecution of women and girls; expresses its support for the ongoing investigations into gender-based persecution and other human rights violations;

5. Urges Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to put an end to the systemic and systematic abuses against Afghan women and girls, which may amount to gender persecution, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Afghanistan is a State Party;

10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan.

6. Urges the Taliban authorities to immediately lift restrictions on female humanitarian workers and students, to allow women to participate fully in disaster response, and to guarantee women’s unrestricted access to healthcare, education and emergency services; encourages the EU and its partners to further strengthen women’s participation in humanitarian response teams, closely monitor and report on women’s access to aid, and dismantle barriers created by restrictions and discriminatory policies put in place by the Taliban;

7. Emphasises the importance of prioritising women’s needs in humanitarian response; urges both local and international responders to ensure that women and girls receive equitable, dignified and timely assistance, and to ensure, in particular, their protection from violence and access to safe spaces;

8. Commends the enormous courage, resilience and dedication of Afghan women and civil society actors who continue to support their communities and advocate for human rights in spite of life-threatening restrictions and reprisals;

9. Urges the EU, the Member States and other donor states to increase humanitarian aid and funding to support basic needs and livelihoods and ensure flexible funding for non-governmental organisations and their female aid workers;

10. Supports the efforts of Afghan civil society to hold the Taliban accountable for their heinous crimes against women and girls, including through international justice mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court, and the establishment of a possible UN independent investigative mechanism;

11. Insists that the Taliban must fulfil their counterterrorism commitments, including preventing al-Qaeda, Daesh, ISIS-K and other terrorist groups and individuals from using Afghan soil to threaten or violate the security of any other country, refusing to host members of these groups and preventing them from carrying out recruitment, training or fundraising activities; expresses concern that these commitments are not being met;

12. Urges all relevant partners to step up their efforts to dismantle all terrorist financing networks, including ending the misuse of hawala money transfer networks and international donations for this purpose, in order to fight radicalisation, extremism and the recruitment tools that Afghan terrorist organisations continue to rely on;

13. Calls for the EU and the Member States to increase pressure on the Taliban, including through targeted sanctions, asset freezes and travel bans against Taliban leaders responsible for systematic human rights violations;

14. Calls on all members of the international community and, in particular, regional actors to take all the necessary steps to curtail any international and customary law violations at the hands of Afghanistan’s de facto authorities;

15. Stresses the importance of advancing women’s rights and equality of opportunity between men and women worldwide, which are crucial in order to uphold human rights; emphasises that women and girls continue to suffer from discrimination and violence, especially in countries under strict Islamic regimes, and that such societies fail to provide them with equal rights under the law and equal access to education, healthcare, decent work, and political and economic representation;

16. Decries the recent intentional disruption of internet connections across several provinces by the Taliban;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the United Nations, and the de facto authorities of Afghanistan.