The number of Afghans living below the poverty line has doubled in the last three years and will reach 34 million by the end of the year. That is the opinion of the United Nations, which warns of worsening the economic situation due to some measures that the Taliban have introduced against women.
Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, economic output in Afghanistan has fallen by more than 20 percent. This is according to a report by the United Nations Development Program published on Tuesday. “That shock has reduced Afghanistan to one of the poorest countries in the world,” the report points out.
This year there will be 15 million more Afghans on the edge of poverty than in 2020 (19 million then). This means that about 85 percent of the population lives in poverty.
In 2022, Afghanistan’s GDP fell by 3.6 percent, the study found. “An influx of foreign aid worth $3.7 billion by 2022 has prevented the country from collapsing completely,” said Abdallah Al Dardari, UN Development Program representative in Afghanistan. However, he warns of a decline in support in the coming year.
In 2023, Afghanistan’s GDP could increase by 1.3 percent if foreign aid is maintained. “However, the prospects for an economic revival remain weak and insufficient in the long term, especially if foreign aid is suspended due to political restrictions by the Taliban,” the report said.
The UN’s 2023 call for aid to Afghanistan has raised just 5 percent of its $4.6 billion target. “If foreign aid is reduced this year, Afghanistan risks falling off the cliff edge into the abyss,” says Al Dardari.
Since the Taliban came to power, women’s freedoms have been strictly restricted. For example, they no longer have the right to study, except in primary education. In addition, Afghans were banned from working for an NGO in December, but only in April was an exception made for the UN.
“Restrictions on women and girls directly affect the country’s economic productivity and may also impact aid delivery,” the report warns. “There can be no sustainable revival of economic activity without the participation of women in the economy and public life.”
