The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) marked Human Rights Day with a renewed call for the protection of fundamental freedoms, stressing that human rights are “everyday essentials” necessary for dignity, opportunity, and security.

Highlighting this year’s global theme, UNAMA underscored that human rights are not abstract ideals but the conditions that allow people to live meaningful lives — including the rights to education, health, work, expression, and participation in society. The Mission warned that these basic rights remain inaccessible for many Afghans.

Women and girls, UNAMA noted, continue to face severe restrictions on schooling, employment, and public life, undermining both their rights and the country’s long-term prospects. Uneven access to healthcare has further weakened families and communities.

The Mission also raised concern over the growing number of Afghans being involuntarily returned from abroad. It said certain groups — including women, former government and security officials, civil society members, and journalists — remain at heightened risk of reprisals and other rights violations.

UNAMA stressed that Afghanistan’s authorities must take steps to align with international human rights obligations, calling this not only a legal duty but a practical path toward peace and development.

Protecting rights, the Mission said, builds public trust, promotes inclusion, and enables Afghans to contribute to national recovery.

“Human rights are not optional. They are the everyday essentials that sustain life,” said Georgette Gagnon, Officer in Charge of UNAMA and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General. “Ensuring women and girls can learn, work, and participate fully is indispensable to recovery.”

Fiona Frazer, Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Afghanistan, reiterated that the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — adopted 77 years ago — remain vital. “Everyday essentials—education, health, livelihoods, and freedom—are rights that must be afforded to all Afghans. Yet too many are denied them.”

On Human Rights Day, UNAMA called on Afghanistan’s authorities, communities, and international partners to uphold human rights as the foundation for the country’s path toward stability and hope.

U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited controversy after referring to Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, and other developing nations as “hellholes,” while asserting that he prefers immigrants from countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

The remarks were delivered during a rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump vigorously defended his administration’s tightening of immigration policies.

The comments come days after the U.S. government suspended all immigration requests — including green card and citizenship applications — from Afghan nationals and citizens of 18 other countries. The affected nations, all outside Europe, include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

The policy shift follows an attack in Washington involving U.S. National Guard personnel. Authorities identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who had been granted asylum in April. The incident has fueled renewed scrutiny of Afghan migrants in particular.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has implemented a series of sweeping immigration crackdowns, which have further intensified in the wake of the Washington attack.

His latest remarks and policy moves have drawn criticism from rights groups and lawmakers who say they unfairly target vulnerable populations and undermine America’s global standing.

A shooting at Kentucky State University on Tuesday left one person dead and another in critical condition, according to police, who said the suspected assailant was taken into custody, Reuters reported.

Local police in Frankfort, the state capital, and county sheriff’s deputies made the arrest and secured the campus soon after reports of an active shooter, authorities said on social media. The Frankfort Police Department did not provide further details.

A spokesperson for Kentucky State University, a historically Black school, declined comment, but said the school – which had an enrollment of 1,700 students as of the fall of 2023 – would release a statement later on Tuesday.

The New York Times, citing a university spokesperson, reported that the suspect was not a student, but both victims were, and that the shooting had taken place outside of a residential dorm.