Afghanistan - Human Rights

• In 2023, the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index ranks Afghanistan 146 out of 146 countries. This is with an index value of 0.405.
• Afghanistan is a landlocked country in South Asia, bordered by Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Iran.
• In 2022, the UN ranked Afghanistan as 182/193 in the Human Development Index.
• The population of Afghanistan is around 41 million people.
• The World Bank (2022) states that around 45% of Afghanistan work in agriculture.
• The Taliban retook Afghanistan in August 2021.
• The US went to war in 2001 against the Taliban in Afghanistan, who were apparently harbouring Osama Bin Laden.
• NATO's initial engagement in Afghanistan took place in August 2003.
• Under the Taliban, extrajudicial executions of people associated with the former government, members of armed groups such as the National Resistance Front (NRF), Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-KP) and those allegedly not following the Taliban’s rules appeared to be widespread and systematic. This included Afghans associated with the former government or former security forces. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recorded at least 237 extrajudicial executions between the Taliban takeover on 15 August 2021 and 15 June 2022. 
• In 2022, the Taliban authorities also tortured to death civilians in Panjshir province (North of Kabul), according to media reports.
• Following the resurgence of the Taliban, the Taliban shut down the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) and replaced it with the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which issued restrictive and abusive decrees on women’s and girls’ rights. Women who protested against these restrictions were met with unlawful detention and violence.
• By the end of 2022, women and girls were only permitted to attend primary schools.
• The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was established by the Security Council in 2002 in order to help peace and development.
• The Afghan government joined the Economic Cooperation Organisation and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to help promote economic growth. Moreover, the government passed laws such as the Law on Duties and Structures of the Independent Elections Commission to help improve the democratic process, and the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law of 2009.
• Afghan Aid is an NGO which is involved in sustainable rural development strategies. It coordinated its project work with that off the UN and the Afghan government.

  
• In 2023, Afghan Aid helped 496,170 men, women and children with humanitarian relief, including emergency food parcels and cash assistance.
• By 2014, Maternal Mortality rate had halved since 2001 under the Taliban.