Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – The United Nations General Assembly has delivered a sharp rebuke to Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, overwhelmingly adopting a resolution on Monday that condemns the regime’s intensifying repression—particularly of women and girls—and urges immediate reforms to avoid further humanitarian catastrophe. Passed with 116 votes in favor, 12 abstentions and just two votes against (the United States and Israel), the resolution paints a grim picture of a country sliding deeper into crisis nearly four years after the Taliban’s return to power.
The resolution voices alarm over what it calls the “grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression” of women and girls in Afghanistan, highlighting how the Taliban’s bans on female education, employment and participation in public life have erased decades of progress. It demands the immediate reversal of these policies and calls for full respect for human rights and international law. UN members warned that the sidelining of half the population not only violates international obligations but risks condemning the country to a future of isolation and instability.
Beyond the repression of women, the resolution underscores Afghanistan’s broader descent into economic collapse and insecurity. It warns of the growing influence of terrorist groups including Al-Qaida, ISIS-Khorasan and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, while demanding that Afghan territory not be used as a safe haven for violent extremism. At the same time, widespread poverty, drought, floods and a worsening hunger crisis are pushing millions to the brink.
The resolution comes at a time of growing pressure on Afghanistan’s fragile humanitarian infrastructure, strained further by the mass return of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan. Many are arriving under duress to provinces that lack the resources to support them, leaving thousands of families in desperate need of shelter, food and medical care. Yet despite this deepening crisis, the UN’s $2.4 billion humanitarian plan for Afghanistan is just 22 percent funded.
The Assembly also raised the alarm over the Taliban’s lack of political inclusivity, noting a pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and retribution against former government officials and members of the security forces. While it acknowledged limited steps to curb opium cultivation, the UN called for broader efforts to tackle organized crime, drug trafficking and the illicit arms trade.
Though non-binding, the resolution signals strong global consensus on the need for a shift in Taliban policy. It urges international donors not to scale back humanitarian support and stresses that any lasting peace in Afghanistan must include inclusive governance, respect for civil and political rights, and the full participation of women and minorities. With time running out for millions of Afghans, the vote sends a clear message: the world is watching, and silence is not an option.
