UNAMA Urges Taliban to Lift Ban on Girls’ Education

July 31, 2026

Rafiullah Nikzad 31.07.2027

Georgette Gagnon, the Acting Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), has once again called on the Taliban to lift restrictions on girls’ education and allow them to return to school at all levels. She said girls must be able to continue their education and play a meaningful role in Afghanistan’s future development.

In a video released by UNAMA on Thursday, Gagnon was seen visiting a girls’ primary school in Istalif district of Kabul province, where she reiterated the UN’s call for the Taliban to end the ban preventing girls from pursuing education beyond primary school.

The video also shows Gagnon meeting with local Taliban officials and community elders to discuss educational challenges, economic needs, and other issues affecting residents of Istalif district.

During the visit, she toured a computer laboratory established with UN support at the girls’ primary school and stressed the importance of ensuring girls have access to information technology and digital skills.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have barred girls from attending secondary school and, in December 2022, banned women and girls from universities. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are prohibited from receiving secondary and higher education.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), more than 2.5 million girls in Afghanistan are currently deprived of their right to education. UNESCO warns that if the ban remains in place, the number could exceed 4 million by 2030.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also warned that the continued education ban could leave Afghanistan facing a shortage of more than 20,000 female teachers and 5,400 female healthcare workers by 2030.

UNICEF further says that keeping girls out of school will not only weaken the country’s education system but also increase the risk of child marriage, reduce the number of qualified women in the education and health sectors, and contribute to higher maternal and infant mortality rates.