World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
By the end of 2025, more people in Afghanistan can participate in an increasingly socially cohesive, gender equal, and inclusive society, where the rule of law and human rights are progressively upheld, and more people can fully, equally, and safely participate in governance and decision-making.
Related UNSF Output 3.1: Formal and informal governance mechanisms, community-based institutions, and decision-making platforms are more inclusive, responsive, accountable, and better able to contribute to social cohesion and reconciliation. Related UNSF Output 3.3: Communities, civil society organizations, vulnerable groups, women, and other relevant stakeholders, are more aware of and better able to promote and protect their human rights, aligned with international norms and standards, and mitigate threats to their safety and wellbeing.
By the end of 2025, more people in Afghanistan can participate in an increasingly socially cohesive, gender equal, and inclusive society, where the rule of law and human rights are progressively upheld, and more people can fully, equally, and safely participate in governance and decision-making.
Complementary indicators are identified as those in the results framework that are not repeated verbatim in the results framework of another United Nations entity, but are related or provide different but complementary lenses or insights into the same issue, high-level result and/or area of complementary work, such as a Sustainable Development Goal target.
Complementary
UN Women reports on this indicator in a global scope, signified by "(Desk Review)" at the end of the indicator statement (see the Our Global Results page for the global result)
Common indicators are those that appear verbatim the same in at least two entities' results frameworks and are drawn, where possible, directly from other globally agreed frameworks.
Common
UN Women ACO effectively leads, coordinates, and promotes accountability for the implementation of gender equality commitments across the international community’s (UN system, Member States, and regional organizations) to ensures interventions and policies related to GEWE in Afghanistan are informed by the perspectives of Afghan women and girls, hence better able to respond to their needs.
Diverse Afghan women leaders, including women human rights defenders (WHRDs), business women and women's civil society leaders, are enabled and empowered to advocate for gender equality and women’s rights, women participation in economy in international and national policy forums.
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
Civil society organizations, institutions, community leaders and other stakeholders benefit from knowledge on promotion of positive social norms, attitudes, and behaviors on gender equality and women empowerment at community, national and international level.
Data reported for 2022 results against this indicator was obtained as part of a learning process on social norms and therefore may not accurately reflect the results obtained. Internal reviews of data collected on social norms across relevant indicators, coupled with external reviews, are informing the design of UN Women’s principled approach to social & gender norms change. This will be reflected in changes to the indicators to be introduced in the Mid-Term Review of the Strategic Plan.
Data reported for 2022 results against this indicator was obtained as part of a learning process on social norms and therefore may not accurately reflect the results obtained. Internal reviews of data collected on social norms across relevant indicators, coupled with external reviews, are informing the design of UN Women’s principled approach to social & gender norms change. This will be reflected in changes to the indicators to be introduced in the Mid-Term Review of the Strategic Plan.
UN, Member States and regional organizations have access to gender-disaggregated data and gender analysis produced by UN Women in their policy, planning, and coordination frameworks to promote stronger accountability on gender equality and women empowerment.
Women led-civil society organizations in Afghanistan have increased institutional capacity to advance their work across the full spectrum of human rights contributing to the strengthening and rebuilding of Afghan women civil society
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
In addition to results reported by UN Women field offices (shown here), results achieved in countries and territories through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UNTF) are included in a non-duplicative manner in the global reporting on this indicator (see the Our Global Results page).
By the end of 2025, more people in Afghanistan can participate in an increasingly socially cohesive, gender equal, and inclusive society, where the rule of law and human rights are progressively upheld, and more people can fully, equally, and safely participate in governance and decision-making.
During 2023, in a context where the de facto authorities (DFA) continued to enforce and promulgate restrictions on women's rights to work, education, and freedom of movement, progress against this outcome remained limited. UN Women Afghanistan continued its efforts to ensure that more women and girls in Afghanistan can participate in an increasingly socially cohesive, equal and inclusive society, through promoting gender as a central focus of the humanitarian response and increasing the participation and voice of women in decision-making. On the Humanitarian front: UN Women and its partners monitored the effects of the December 2022 ban on Afghan women working for I/NGOs and provided substantive gender analysis to inform programme design, contributing to the evidence base for aid agencies to recognize the centrality of gender and protection in the protracted crisis occurring on the ground. By the end of 2023, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan emphasized the need to address gender issues in all aspects of the humanitarian response. The ACO also promoted the participation of women and women’s CSOs at all stages of the project planning process, particularly through the Women’s Advisory Group to the Humanitarian Country team (HCT in Afghanistan. They played a crucial role in advancing gender equality, promoting social cohesion, and upholding human rights during 2023, ultimately contributing to advancing the progress on this outcome. [1] On advancing Women, Peace and Security Agenda: UN Women contributed to creating spaces for Afghan women to safely participate in international governance and decision-making. Specific results achieved in 2023 include: Contribution to securing strong language around women’s participation in Resolution 2721, passed by the Security Council to act upon the recommendations of the Independent Assessment on Afghanistan. Language was secured around the full, equal, and safe participation of Afghan women in any current or future engagement formats or intra-Afghan dialogue processes. The pathways to women’s participation are embedded in UN Women’s quarterly consultation cycle and the ability to create spaces for Afghan women to brief the international community. Amplification of the voices of diverse Afghan women inside the country through the creation of a meaningful consultation cycle, in collaboration with IOM and UNAMA, to ensure that their priorities and policy recommendations influence international decision-making vis-à-vis Afghanistan, establishing a foundation for operationalization of the participation pillar of the WPS agenda. Shaped international norms through convening an Expert Group Meeting on international strategies and tools that offered insights on how the international community can better respond, through the creation of new tools (‘gender apartheid’) and enhanced use of existing tools, to an unprecedented women’s rights crisis. Supported 13 Afghan women-led/gender-focused organizations to advance women’s rights at the national and sub-national levels through activities related to building social cohesion in communities, documenting the status of women and girls in Afghanistan, providing protection services to women human rights defenders, coalition-building among Afghan women and strengthening the organizational capacity of grassroots women-led CSOs. Created an enabling environment for women’s leadership through investing in protection services for WHRDs under threat, in a context where all protection infrastructure has been abolished. On Strengthened institutional and organizational resilience of partners, including rebuilding and strengthening women’s organizations and the women’s movement. ACO modalities deployed in this pursuit included: Partnering with 86 WCSOs (US$1.785m funded). Contracting 36 women’s organizations , via the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) (grants of up to $200k). Partnering with 35 organizations and businesses in four thematic portfolios (Programme Thematic Funding). Capacity-building and technical support to ensure that women-led CSOs have the necessary support and funding in a complex and constrained operational environment and that they could continue to operate and strengthen their capacity for longer-term sustainability. On Communication and Advocacy Fronts: UN Women continued its strong focus on delivering robust communications outputs in support of its mandate in Afghanistan. Among endeavours toward this end undertaken over the course of 2023 stand several actions aimed at achieving an Afghanistan that is more cohesive, equitable and stable, and which serves the prevailing needs of its citizens: Mission to Faizabad : In collaboration with UNHCR and FAO, the ACO conducted a field visit to Faizabad, Badakhshan province, where a women’s market is to be established. The UN Women Deputy Country Representative joined the mission to show solidarity with Afghan women, listen to their challenges and explore ways in which UN Women can support them. High-Level Mission : In January 2023, at the request of the UN Secretary-General, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, and Assistant Secretary-General of the Department of Political, Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations, Khaled Khiari undertook a four-day visit to Afghanistan to appraise the situation in country, engage with the DFA, and underscore UN solidarity with the Afghan people. Relevant statements can be found here and here . Gender analysis publications: Thought leadership and consolidation of UN Women as the ‘go-to’ actor for analysis on women’s rights in Afghanistan. Key outputs in this regard: G ender Alerts on Afghan women working in NGOs and women’s rights under the Taliban . Rapid-response Gender Updates on the Herat earthquakes ( 10 and 21 October) and Afghan returnees ( 14 November and 10 December ). 7 Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Snapshots on the impacts of the bans on Afghan women workers. Expert Group Meeting gathering Afghan women and international legal and political experts to reflect upon and build understanding around ‘gender apartheid’, and the legal and political implications of using this term in the Afghan context. Consultations with IOM and UNAMA on Afghan women’s perspectives, to inform policy, programming and decision-making (see the summary reports for Q1 , Q2 , Q3 , Q4 ). The inter-agency Afghanistan Rapid Gender Analysis [1] , produced via the GiHA Working Group, with the GenCap entity. The document provides a snapshot, as of September 2023, of the prevailing situation for women, men, girls, and boys in Afghanistan, in an effort to increase understanding of the gendered impact of the humanitarian crisis. A flyer on the situation following the series of major earthquakes that struck Herat province in October 2023 (also published via the UN Women Asia-Pacific website): Infographic: UN Women’s Response to Herat Earthquake [1] GiHA. Afghanistan Rapid Gender Analysis 2023 . [1] OCHA. 2023. Humanitarian Response Plan: Afghanistan . Humanitarian Programme Cycle 2023. March 2023.Disclaimer and notes
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).