UNAMA Calls on Taliban to Lift Girls’ Education Ban on International ICT Day
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a statement on April 23 urging the Taliban to lift longstanding restrictions on girls’ education and access to technology. The call coincided with the International Day of Girls in Information and Communications Technology, a day the UN uses to highlight the role of digital literacy in economic development and social progress.
UNAMA warned that more than four years of educational bans have excluded an entire generation of Afghan girls from formal schooling. The mission noted that over two million girls remain out of classrooms, a situation that continues to deepen poverty, widen gender inequality, and disrupt livelihoods for women-led households. UN officials emphasized that access to science and technology education remains critical for long-term economic stability and innovation in the country.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also highlighted the compounding challenges facing Afghan women and girls. OCHA noted that returning deportees and displaced families face severe barriers to essential services, with educational restrictions further increasing their vulnerability amid ongoing humanitarian pressures.
While reports vary slightly on the exact duration of the restrictions, ranging from over one thousand six hundred days to nearly four and a half years, all UN agencies agree that the continued closure of schools to females has had a profound impact on national development. UNAMA reiterated that lifting the bans is necessary to restore basic rights and support the country's integration into global educational frameworks.
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Where reports agree
- UNAMA publicly called on the Taliban to lift the girls' education ban on April 23, coinciding with International Day of Girls in ICT.
- The ban has persisted for over four years since 2021, excluding a generation from formal schooling.
- UN agencies emphasized that ICT education is vital for employment, innovation, and Afghanistan's long-term stability.
- OCHA highlighted the acute vulnerability of returning Afghan women and girls, citing restricted access to education and basic services.
Where reports differ
- Slight numerical variations in the duration of the ban: Hasht-e Subh cites exactly 1,678 days, Khaama Press states over 1,600 days, and Amu TV notes nearly four and a half years.
- Amu TV includes specific figures (>2 million affected girls) and details on increased deportations from Europe/neighboring countries, which the other two sources omit but do not contradict.
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