During the meeting with the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Rubio pledged government and private sector cooperation, with the announcement of 54 agreements and proposed projects.
Rabab Fatima is taking charge of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan when the country faces growing human rights concerns and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations Children's Fund or UNICEF is warning that more than four million Afghan children could need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2027. That is the highest number recorded in the past five years, highlighting the scale of a deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The European Union says it is concerned about the presence and activities of terrorist groups with regional and potentially global reach, including the Islamic State Khorasan Province (IS-K) in Afghanistan.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban of sheltering Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which has taken responsibility for attacks inside Pakistan. Taliban publicly deny harboring any militant group.
The suspension of the BBC’s FM broadcasts adds to growing concerns over media freedom in Afghanistan.
Abdul Hadi Farhang, founder of Afghanistan Traders and Investors, told VOA that the Taliban’s restrictions and Afghanistan’s economic crisis have taken a toll on women.
The United Nations is calling on the Taliban to reopen schools for Afghan girls beyond sixth grade, saying keeping girls in school is “one of the most powerful ways” to protect their rights and prevent child marriage.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, in a statement last week, said some 492,300 Afghans have been deported from Iran, which represents 85% of those returned to Afghanistan in 2026.
The United States says the Taliban government in Afghanistan does not ‘fully’ meet the minimum standards for combating human trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.
The French government has confirmed ‘technical’ talks with the Taliban to facilitate the deportation to Afghanistan of Afghan nationals residing without legal status or who are considered a national security threat in France.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations will work with Pakistan to “uphold protection principles and ensure that returns of Afghans proceed in a voluntary, safe and dignified way.”
The head of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says that the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan is “totally unacceptable” and represents a “very poor” development policy.
Afghanistan faces a “serious and widespread” malnutrition problem, where more than 3.7 million children under the age of five face severe malnutrition, says a Kabul-based World Health Organization official.
The United States cautioned countries against supporting the Taliban as the group took part in a consultative meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA that the Taliban remains on the U.S. Specially Designated Global Terrorist list.
The world marked International Teachers’ Day on Monday, while Afghan girls remain barred from attending school beyond sixth grade and many female teachers have been forced to stay home under Taliban restrictions on women.
Afghan women face growing despair as Taliban increase repressive measures
Load more
