CSW70 Side Event: Afghan Women as Economic Actors Amid Crisis and Restrictions

Afghan Women as Economic Actors Amid Crisis and Restrictions

Friday, 13 March 2026 9:30 - 11:00am
Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations

666 Third Avenue, 31^st floor, New York

Introduction 

Despite systematic and institutionalized oppression amounting to what some international actors and civil society organizations have called “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan, women and girls have refused to remain passive. They have demonstrated continuous resistance and resilience by finding ways to access education, including higher education, to seek employment, and to sustain their businesses under severe constraints.

Afghan women within the country have consistently remained economically and socially active, rejecting narratives of victimhood. This reality must be recognized. The international community, policymakers, and diaspora organizations must acknowledge Afghan women inside the country not merely as beneficiaries of aid, but as partners and agents shaping Afghanistan’s present and future.

A genuine assessment of what Afghan women have been able to achieve in the nearly five years since the Taliban takeover - and an honest discussion about how to responsibly and effectively support their efforts - is essential. Only through such evidence-based engagement can we create pathways, however constrained, for women and girls to earn dignified livelihoods and leverage their financial independence to contribute to social and cultural change.

Since the regime change, Afghanistan has faced deepening economic collapse and a sustained human rights crisis, compounded in the last year by a significant surge in Afghan returnees from Iran and Pakistan. Many of these returnees are women who were economically active in exile and now face restrictions upon returning, underscoring the urgency of targeted, context-sensitive support.

This side event seeks to shift the prevailing narrative - from viewing Afghan women as passive recipients of humanitarian aid to recognizing them as agents of economic resilience and recovery. The discussion will be grounded in field-based assessments across all 34 provinces, analysis of the evolving political context, diaspora engagement, and evidence-based policy recommendations.

Objectives

• Present new assessment findings on Afghan women’s economic activities inside Afghanistan, including among returnees

• Examine policy and programme gaps at the intersection of human rights, humanitarian assistance, and economic empowerment and livelihoods

• Highlight viable, context-responsive pathways for supporting women’s economic agency under restrictions

• Provide a practical roadmap for donors, UN agencies and policymakers involved in the Doha process and its working groups 

 Expected Outcomes

• Increased recognition of Afghan women as economic and social actors

• Clear, actionable recommendations for donors and policymakers

Key Guiding Questions

• How are Afghan women sustaining livelihoods under extreme constraints?

• What economic activities remain viable - and scalable - under current conditions?

• How can human rights frameworks better integrate women’s economic agency?

• What tailored support is needed for returnee women from Iran and Pakistan?

• How can diaspora networks, digital platforms, and informal economies be leveraged responsibly?

• How can political processes, including the Doha process and its working groups, move beyond consultation to ensure Afghan women - inside and outside the country - are recognized as indispensable actors whose recommendations meaningfully shape policy and implementation?

Target Audience

• UN Member States representatives

• Relevant UN agencies  

• Donors and foundations

• Civil society and Afghan women-led organizations

• Researchers and policy advocates

 Agenda

• Opening remarks

• Julia Koch-de Biolley, Head of the Task Force for Equality, European External Action Service

• Christine Arab, Regional Director, UN Women Asia Pacific

• Presentation: Evidence & Roadmap, Manizha Wafeq, Founder, Global Women’s Trade Caravan, Co-founder and former President of Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry

• Expert Panel Discussion

• Gaisu Yari, Advocacy and Policy Manager, Afghanistan Initiative, Malala Fund. How have Afghan women continued their resistance by pursuing education and advocating for their rights under severe constraints, and why do education and basic rights matter for dignified and sustainable livelihoods?

• Negina Yari, Executive Director, Window of Hope. How can the skills and capacities of returnee women and girls be identified, recognized, and supported to enable their meaningful economic participation in society?

• Shkola Zadran, Former Afghan Youth Reps. to the UN. How can MSMEs, digital platforms, and diaspora engagement be leveraged to create sustainable, scalable economic opportunities for Afghan women amid current restrictions?

• Nazeela Elmi, Gender, Transitional Justice and Inclusive Peace-building Research Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. How can political processes, including the Doha process and its working groups, move beyond consultation to ensure Afghan women - inside and outside the country - are recognized as indispensable actors whose recommendations meaningfully shape policy and implementation?

• Q&A

• Closing remarks

  • Afsana Rahimi, Chairperson of Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry and CEO of Afghanistan International Business Council

  • Isabelle Rome, Ambassador for Human Rights for France