A German tourist who traveled to Afghanistan reported having a positive experience under Taliban rule - a regime that does not allow girls to study past the sixth grade. However, she is not the only Westerner to visit Afghanistan; the Taliban announced last month that foreign tourism to the country has increased by 80 percent.
On Tuesday, the United Nations headquarters in New York hosted a press conference with a senior UN official directly from Afghanistan, who presented a far darker reality for women and girls under Islamic rule than what some Western social media figures describe.
"The restrictions imposed on women and girls have impacted nearly every area of daily life,” testified Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan.
“They affect education, livelihoods, access to healthcare, and participation in society. With each new restriction, women are further excluded from public life. For me, the danger is that when people are not seen, they are at risk of being erased," she stated.
Cherevko, who briefed reporters virtually on the humanitarian situation, cited Afghanistan as “the most dangerous country in Asia for childbirth.”
“In a single year, more than 7,000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth,” she reported. “Out of every thousand infants, 50 die before reaching their first birthday.”
In a conversation with Rudaw’s Namo Abdulla, Cherevko elaborated on her engagement with all relevant parties, stakeholders, local communities, and authorities to ensure that aid is distributed solely based on need, preventing interference and upholding humanitarian principles, but stressed that that aid was “running out.”
“The UN humanitarian plan for Afghanistan requires $1.71 billion, but by August, only 26 percent of it had been funded,” she said.
While the Taliban has no representation at the United Nations, the Secretary-General appointed his first special envoy for Afghanistan in July, who has not yet assumed office.
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, told Rudaw that while governments themselves decide whom they recognize as the government of Afghanistan, “that has not happened for the de facto authorities,” stating he does not foresee “that there is any movement in that direction among member states” regarding the possibility of the Taliban gaining a seat at the United Nations.
The UN further affirmed that the war in Iran has deepened the humanitarian crisis and that nearly two million displaced Afghans have returned from Iran, with many remaining unemployed.
