We Must Unite for the Girls of Afghanistan

On the fourth anniversary of the ban on girls’ secondary education in Afghanistan, Education Cannot Wait calls for a return to learning.  

17 September 2025, New York – As we mark today’s tragic four-year anniversary of the ban on girls’ secondary education in Afghanistan, the global community must come together to support education for all girls in Afghanistan.  

World leaders must continue to advocate for the right to education for every girl in Afghanistan, complementing efforts by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation “to unite scholars and religious authorities in the Islamic world against the decision to prevent girls from education.” 

We must listen to the people of Afghanistan: a new UN Women report indicates that 92% of Afghans support girls’ secondary schooling. We must also listen to Afghan girls impacted by the ban: Education Cannot Wait’s global Afghan Girls’ Voices advocacy campaign combines compelling calls to action by Afghan girls with moving artwork. As one Afghan girl says: “I want my school and classes back. I want my books back. I want my classmates back. I want my freedom back. I want my life back.”

Today, more than 2.2 million Afghan girls are banned from attending school beyond primary school, according to UNESCO. In all, up to 7 million children are out of school due to the ban and other constraints, according to UNCEF.

The impact on the Afghan people is enormous. In a nation where 85% of the people live on less than US$1 a day, the ban could result in a total loss of US$1.5 billion to GDP by 2030 and US$9.6 billion by 2066, according to UNESCO.

We must keep hope alive for the children of Afghanistan. Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and our strategic partners have already reached close to 300,000 children in Afghanistan with the safety, hope and opportunity of a quality education, 54% of whom are girls. 

Through over US$90 million in investments, ECW’s local delivery partners have managed to sustainably expand girls’ access to education, by further scaling up community-based education in remote and underserved areas and by rolling out tailored accelerated learning programmes for adolescent girls unable to access the formal education system. 

Despite the challenges ahead, the world must not stop its support for community-based education across Afghanistan. This means funding education initiatives that provide all girls and boys access to education through local groups.  

It also means providing mental health and psychological support for Aghan girls and boys living a life of fear and insecurity. By investing in the education of young Afghan girls today, we are investing in an end to injustice, an end to poverty, and in a better future for generations to come.