On the situation in Afghanistan: supporting women and communities affected by the recent earthquakes

B100425/2025

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Afghanistan: supporting women and communities affected by the recent earthquakes

(2025/2872(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Afghanistan,

–having regard to the conclusions of the third meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan, held in Doha from 30 June to 1 July 2024,

–having regard to the World Food Programme’s Annual Country Report for Afghanistan in 2024,

–having regard to the Human Development Index published in the Human Development Report 2021/2022 of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),

–having regard to the European Consensus on Development,

–having regard to the International Crisis Group report entitled ‘Afghanistan: The Taliban Restrict Women’s Rights, Worsening the Humanitarian Crisis’, published in 2023,

–having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General entitled ‘The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security’,

–having regard to UNICEF’s humanitarian appeal for 2025,

–having regard to the Afghanistan emergency appeal for 2025 of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR),

–having regard to UNICEF’s Afghanistan earthquake response appeal for 2025,

–having regard to the International Organization for Migration’s Afghanistan Crisis Response Plan 2025,

–having regard to the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Appeal 2025,

–having regard to the International Criminal Court’s ruling of January 2025 concerning Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani,

–having regard to the principle of non-refoulement under international law,

–having regard to the judgment of the Court of Justice of 16 January 2024 in case C-621/21 on protection for women facing gender-based violence,

–having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas on 31 August 2025 a deadly 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit the province of Kunar in east Afghanistan, causing over 2 200 deaths and thousands of injuries in both Kunar and the neighbouring province, Nangarhar; whereas more than 6 700 homes were destroyed, with entire villages being reduced to rubble, leaving at least 11 000 people living in tents at the brink of winter; whereas many families have been left without shelter, increasing the risk of hypothermia as temperatures drop in the mountainous regions; whereas global humanitarian aid cuts have had a severe impact on the crisis response;

B.whereas the Taliban’s restrictive regime has left Afghanistan severely isolated internationally, resulting in slow international relief; whereas the consequences of the gender-apartheid imposed by the Taliban regime have had a severe impact on the aid response for women and girls; whereas a lack of female doctors and strict travel restrictions for women and girls have contributed to a high death toll; whereas women have been disproportionately affected by the earthquake owing to the Taliban’s strict social code, which prevents male volunteers from touching women, thus hampering rescue efforts and medical treatment;

C.whereas according to the Human Development Index published in the UNDP Human Development Report 2021/2022, Afghanistan was ranked 180th out of 191 countries; whereas four years after the Taliban assumed power, over 9.5 million people are experiencing severe food insecurity, with 4.7 million women and children in need of treatment for malnutrition; whereas 1.5 million girls have been banned from attending secondary school, and primary school attendance has dropped sharply; whereas the formal youth unemployment rate has increased to almost 17 %;

D.whereas according to the World Health Organization, 422 health facilities in Afghanistan have shut down on account of funding shortages, affecting 3.08 million people across 30 provinces; whereas Afghanistan is experiencing multiple health emergencies, including outbreaks of measles, malaria, dengue, polio and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever; whereas Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios globally; whereas Afghanistan’s critical maternal health challenges are exacerbated by ongoing conflict, limited healthcare infrastructure, and socio-economic barriers;

E.whereas the country remains one of the world’s most acute hunger hotspots, grappling with a multitude of challenges, including ongoing conflict, economic instability, environmental disasters and political restrictions; whereas between January and October 2024 there were over 1.1 million returnees to Afghanistan, putting pressure on communities already under strain; whereas there are 3.2 million internally displaced persons, and 5.3 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in neighbouring countries;

F.whereas the EU rightfully does not maintain relations with the de facto Afghani authorities; whereas EU-Afghanistan relations are at their lowest point since July 2021, when the last interparliamentary meeting between Parliament and representatives of the National Assembly of Afghanistan took place;

1.Expresses deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Kunar and Nangarhar as a result of the earthquakes, extends condolences to the families of the victims and urges international actors to help deliver support on the ground for survivors as soon as possible; insists on scaling up emergency responses for underserved populations, assisting returning migrants at border points, and enhancing maternal and child healthcare services in particular; calls on the de facto authorities to lift all restrictions that limit access to or the distribution of humanitarian aid; strongly condemns measures of repression such as the recent internet shutdown imposed by the Taliban across the country; reiterates that this further isolates the people of Afghanistan, in particular women, and negatively impacts the already fragile economy and aid operations; calls on the de facto authorities to refrain from adopting such a practice in the future;

2.Takes note of the UN’s emergency appeal for EUR 131.2 million to help half a million people affected by earthquakes; recalls UNICEF’s emergency appeal for EUR 1.12 billion to provide access to education, healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation and psychosocial support, especially taking into account the external policy chapter of the upcoming multiannual financial framework; approves of the extra EUR 14 million allocated to the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme by the Commission; notes, however, that humanitarian relief is still sorely needed and calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up their emergency humanitarian support for the people of Afghanistan;

3.Calls on the Commission to continue and, where possible, increase support for basic needs and livelihoods in Afghanistan, maintaining at least the current level of financing and increasing the national envelope where possible; calls on the Commission to continue working through the humanitarian-development-peace nexus; recalls that increasing poverty, the worsening humanitarian situation, the overall lack of prospects for a better future and internal displacement can result in increasing destabilisation and radicalisation, as well as displacement within Afghanistan and beyond its borders; welcomes the Commission’s intention to increase EU support for promoting resilience and integrated responses to fragility under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation – Global Europe instrument proposal and urges the Commission to reaffirm its financial support to Afghanistan and to allocate a dedicated amount to the country with the objective of contributing to its stabilisation;

4.Notes with grave concern that Kunar and Nangarhar are the main entry routes for Afghan deportees from Iran and Pakistan returning through the Torkham crossing; expresses grave concern about the human rights violations taking place during these deportations; expresses great concern about the added strain on the humanitarian aid infrastructure in these provinces, caused by continued deportations; calls on Iran and Pakistan to immediately halt deportations; highlights, in this regard, the importance of adhering to the principle of non-refoulement, especially given the ongoing conflict and instability and the persecution of ethnic groups, women and political opponents since the Taliban assumed power in 2021; observes that these circumstances are leading to increased risks, especially for women, minorities and activists, as well as to an economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis; supports the UNHCR in strongly advocating for adherence to the principle of non-refoulement in the case of Afghans fleeing persecution;

5.Asks the international community and the EU to guarantee cross‑border and post‑arrival humanitarian assistance for vulnerable undocumented returnees at major border crossing points with Pakistan and Iran, and to ensure the provision of emergency shelters and non‑food items, winterisation assistance, protection services, camp coordination and psychosocial support with a view to promoting a voluntary, safe and dignified return and local integration of returnees and people affected by displacement;

6.Notes with grave concern that 1 300 human rights defenders, journalists and other public figures who have supported the development of democracy in Afghanistan over the last decade are currently in Pakistan waiting to be admitted to EU Member States after obtaining documentation entitling them to legally remain in Pakistan while their asylum request is being processed; expresses deep concern at the ongoing deportations, which are now also targeting these groups; calls on the EU Member States to proceed as quickly as possible with the asylum applications of those at risk of deportation; recalls the judgment of the Court of Justice with regard to protecting female Afghan refugees from gender-based violence;

7.Calls on the de facto authorities to lift all restrictions on women, and to rescind all 70 decrees that limit the lives of women; calls, in particular, for a lifting of all restrictions that ban women from the public space, such as travel restrictions and the ban on work and education; urges the de facto authorities to reopen medical education centres, given the country’s drastic shortage of female medical staff; notes that, in the UN context, the term gender apartheid is increasingly being used to refer to the situation in Afghanistan; calls for the EU to support the recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity;

8.Calls on the de facto authorities to permit women’s rights organisations to continue their work in Afghanistan; calls on the authorities to immediately lift all restrictions on women working for civil society organisations, both at local and international level; calls for the EU and its Member States to support grassroots women’s rights organisations and local female entrepreneurs wherever possible;

9.Calls on the Member States to execute the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court in January 2025 against two Taliban leaders, Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, who are charged with crimes against humanity for the persecution of women and girls; expresses its support for the ongoing investigations into gender-based persecution and other human rights violations;

10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan.