WHO reports
Unemployment in Afghanistan doubles under Taliban
80 percent of households in Afghanistan live on less than one dollar per household member. (Symbolic image) Photo
© Ebrahim Noroozi/AP
Although the armed insurgency ended with the Taliban taking power in 2021, a large part of the population in Afghanistan continues to suffer due to the economic situation.
Unemployment in Afghanistan has increased since the According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people living in the Taliban has more than doubled. In a report published on Thursday looking at the past year, the WHO also pointed to the ongoing humanitarian emergency. Almost a third of the population is affected by a food crisis. This is around 13 million people.
According to the data, the economic impact was most pronounced in 2021, immediately after the seizure of power, with a decline of a good 20 percent. In the following year, the economy only shrank by about 6 percent. However, according to the WHO, poverty still affects half of the population. 80 percent of households live on less than one dollar per household member.
Aid funds scarce
On Wednesday, the head of the UN Support Mission (Unama), Roza Otunbayeva, also pointed out the precarious humanitarian situation in a speech to the UN Security Council. According to her, only 30 percent of the aid funds have been secured for 2024. More than two billion dollars (1.8 billion euros) in support are missing. Unlike in 2023, there are no “remaining funds that we can fall back on,” said Otunbayeva.
The Taliban regained power in August 2021 after almost 20 years of Western military presence. After the Al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, a US-led military invasion in 2001 overthrew the Taliban in Afghanistan. The leadership at the time had given shelter to the terrorist group and the mastermind of the attacks, Osama bin Laden.
Even today, those in power in Kabul are largely isolated internationally. One reason for this is their repressive government. So far, no country in the world has officially recognized the Islamist government. The group is internationally isolated in particular because of its disregard for human rights and, above all, women’s rights.