UN envoy begins mission in Afghanistan amid humanitarian, human rights challenges

Washington — Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Pashto article.

Rabab Fatima, the new United Nations special representative for Afghanistan, has arrived in Kabul and formally assumed her duties as head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA. She, taking charge of the U.N.’s mission at a time when Afghanistan faces growing human rights concerns and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

The U.N. announced Fatima's arrival in the country in a statement Sunday. She succeeds Roza Otunbayeva, whose term ended in September 2025. Since then, Georgette Gagnon, UNAMA’s deputy chief, had been overseeing the mission on an interim basis.

Fatima's appointment comes at a critical moment for Afghanistan, where the U.N. continues to document restrictions on women and girls, limits on media freedoms, arbitrary detentions, and a deteriorating humanitarian situation affecting millions of people.

Human rights concerns

Her arrival coincides with renewed concerns raised by UNAMA regarding the human rights situation under Taliban rule.

In its latest quarterly report, UNAMA said officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice detained hundreds of people and mistreated dozens of others between July and September 2026. The report also documented continuing restrictions on media organizations and noted that female U.N. employees remain barred from attending their offices in Afghanistan.

The findings underscore the challenges facing Fatima as she seeks to maintain dialogue with the Taliban authorities, while promoting international expectations on human rights, governance and humanitarian access.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on Afghan women and girls, including limits on education, employment and public participation.

Former UNAMA chief Roza Otunbayeva repeatedly warned that Afghanistan’s exclusion of women from public life was creating what she described as an unprecedented situation.

“The policy of excluding women and girls from education, employment and public life harms the entire country,” Otunbayeva said in previous briefings to the U.N. Security Council.

U.N. officials and human rights organizations have consistently argued that reversing those restrictions remains essential for Afghanistan’s economic recovery, international engagement and long-term stability.

Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis

The humanitarian situation is expected to be another major focus of Fatima’s tenure.

U.N. agencies have warned that widespread poverty, food insecurity and climate-related shocks continue to affect millions of Afghans. Humanitarian organizations also face significant operational challenges as funding shortfalls threaten aid programs.

Recent warnings from UNICEF have highlighted growing levels of child malnutrition, with projections suggesting that more than 4 million Afghan children could require treatment for malnutrition in 2027 if current trends continue.

Aid agencies say restrictions affecting female humanitarian workers have further complicated efforts to reach vulnerable communities, particularly women and children.

Additionally, Fatima assumes leadership of UNAMA amid questions from some member states about the U.N. mission’s role and costs.

The United States recently criticized aspects of UNAMA’s operations and engagement with the Taliban. Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting earlier this year, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz described UNAMA as the U.N.’s most expensive political mission and called for its expenditures to be closely reviewed.