What changed

B100425/2025

B100415/2025

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,

– 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 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;

A. whereas the Taliban have implemented their extreme interpretation of Sharia and erased women from public life; whereas this includes barring women from work, access to healthcare without a male relative and education beyond the sixth grade, violently enforcing a dehumanising dress code, negating women’s presence in the public space and dismantling the support system for victims of violence; whereas restrictions on Afghan women’s rights hinder them from obtaining EU visas;

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;

B. whereas the Taliban have broken international norms, resumed repression, particularly of women and girls, ethnic minorities, human rights defenders and LGBTIQ+ people, and isolated Afghanistan, increasing hunger and poverty;

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 %;

C. whereas the earthquakes that struck eastern Afghanistan in August 2025 caused severe devastation, leaving thousands dead and injured; whereas women and girls were disproportionately affected, both because they face restrictions on access to healthcare and because the lack of female doctors prevents them from receiving timely treatment; whereas in many affected villages, the destruction of homes and infrastructure has further deepened poverty and food insecurity, with women and children bearing the heaviest burden of displacement and loss of livelihoods;

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;

D. whereas the Taliban have recently shut down mobile networks and internet access in several provinces, further isolating communities, severely disrupting humanitarian operations, impeding access to basic services and trade for ordinary citizens, and silencing the voices of women, human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists; whereas these restrictions are exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation and increasing the vulnerability of local populations;

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;

1. Condemns the devastating policy of gender apartheid and urges the de facto authorities to immediately restore the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in public life, in particular, access to education, healthcare and work;

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;

2. Calls on the de facto authorities to combat violence against women in Afghanistan, and to ensure that perpetrators are held to account without delay; calls on the de facto authorities to reopen the nationwide support system for victims, and ensure they can access shelter, medical care, legal recourse and reparations;

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;

3. Calls on the de facto authorities to stop subjecting women and girls to arbitrary arrest, detention, enforced disappearances and torture, including for alleged non-compliance with Islamic dress codes, their activism or their journalistic work;

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;

4. Calls on the authorities to refrain from using telecommunications shutdowns as a tool of repression, and to ensure that all citizens, including women, humanitarian actors, traders and civil society, can communicate freely and safely; underlines that access to information and connectivity is essential for humanitarian relief, basic economic activity and the protection of fundamental rights;

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;

5. Strongly condemns the devastating rollback of women’s rights in Afghanistan; urges the de facto authorities to reverse restrictions on the rights of women and girls in line with Afghanistan’s international obligations, and to reopen the Ministry of Women’s Affairs;

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;

6. Expresses grave concern about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which disproportionately affects women and girls; deplores that it drives violent practices, such as forced marriage and sexual exploitation; calls on the EU to increase its humanitarian aid for Afghanistan;

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;

7. Denounces the relentless targeting of human rights defenders, journalists and other civil society actors, LGBTIQ+ people, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as the repression of peaceful protest and expressions of dissent;

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;

8. Denounces the timid international condemnation of the Taliban’s gender apartheid, which is allowing the Taliban to create new oppressive laws; condemns the exclusion of Afghan women from United Nations meetings with the Taliban;

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;

9. Recalls that Afghanistan is not a safe third country and therefore calls for an immediate halt to any deportations from EU countries to Afghanistan; condemns direct talks concerning deportations between the Taliban regime and European governments; condemns the systematic pushbacks that Afghans face at the EU’s external borders; calls on the EU Member States to establish and facilitate safe and legal pathways for Afghans at risk, including by increasing resettlement quotas, humanitarian visas and easing family reunification, particularly for women and girls; calls on the Member States to support the application of the Temporary Protection Directive for Afghans seeking international protection and to grant international protection to Afghan women and girls on the grounds of gender-based persecution;

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;

10. Condemns the disastrous legacy of decades of international intervention and illegal occupations, including by NATO, which have led Afghanistan to its present circumstances; reiterates its support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the international crimes committed by all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan; calls on the ICC to prioritise and accelerate the delivery of justice for victims; calls on the EU and its Member States to support this investigation by ensuring the necessary resources;

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;

11. Urges the EU and its Member States to propose the inclusion of ‘gender apartheid’ as a crime against humanity in order to hold Afghanistan and those responsible for this crime accountable; in particular, calls for strong support to amend Article 7.2.h of the Rome Statute, in order to include the gender apartheid definition as proposed by the UN working group on discrimination against women and girls, and therefore consider that gender apartheid means: ‘inhumane acts of a character similar to those referred to in paragraph 1, committed in the context of an institutionalised regime of systematic discrimination, oppression and domination by one group over another group or groups, based on gender, and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime’; in addition, demands the inclusion of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity under Article 2 of the draft articles on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity currently under consideration by the UN General Assembly’s Sixth Committee;

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.

12. Urges the EU, the Member States and other donor states to increase humanitarian aid and funding to support Afghan groups defending women’s and girls’ rights, to support Afghan people’s basic needs and livelihoods and Afghan civil society, ensure flexible funding for NGOs and their female aid workers and grant humanitarian visas and visas promised to the international coalition’s former Afghan employees; stresses the need for the international community to assess the recent decree’s impact on humanitarian operations;

13. Calls on the Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States to ensure that EU humanitarian assistance in response to the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan prioritises the needs of women and girls, including access to healthcare, shelter, food and psychosocial support; stresses the importance of supporting local communities and women-led initiatives in the affected villages, in order to rebuild livelihoods, strengthen resilience and guarantee that aid reaches those most in need;

14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU institutions, Member States, and the de facto authorities of Afghanistan.