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UN extends Afghanistan mission for another year
The United Nations Security Council voted Thursday to extend its mission to Afghanistan for one more year.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) will now continue until spring 2023 and will focus on providing humanitarian assistance, facilitating dialogue within Afghanistan and between other countries, and promoting the rule of law.
The UNAMA is also tasked with protecting human rights and gender equality under the newly established Islamic Emirate (IE) government.
Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, who represented the U.S. at the meeting, said the mandate showed the world’s “enduring commitment” to Afghanistan. The U.S. withdrew forces from the county last year, opening the way for the Taliban’s (IEA) swift takeover, the hill news reported.
“Critically, this mandate ensures UNAMA can continue its vital work in support of women’s and girls’ empowerment, their ability to enjoy fully human rights and fundamental freedoms, and their full, equal, and meaningful participation in all levels and stages of decisionmaking,” he said.
“In doing so, the Security Council has instructed UNAMA not just to advocate for Afghanistan’s women but to engage with them as vital partners in its work.”
According to hill news the representative from Norway, which currently holds the Security Council presidency, added that the mandate strengthens work around the promotion of women’s rights and their participation in public life, but added she was regretful the council did not agree on climate change provisions.
The United Kingdom’s representative warned that future U.N. decisions would depend on how the IEA governs the country amid ongoing concerns over reprisal killings and human rights abuses, adding that the group (IEA) needs to “demonstrate that extremist groups are no longer able to flourish in the country.”
The members of the Security Council voted 14-0 to extend UNAMA, with Russia abstaining, read the report.
The Russian representative said it abstained because the Afghan government failed to respond to requests for consent for the presence of the U.N. in the country.
The representative warned the Security Council against turning UNAMA into “United Nations mission impossible” by creating conflict with local authorities.
“The key is maintaining stability, from which everyone would win,” the representative from Russia said.
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UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.
“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.
His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.
According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.
The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.
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