World Bank Official Visits Kabul Women’s Employment Center to Support Returnees

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has announced that the World Bank’s head of office in Afghanistan visited the organization’s Women’s Trade Center in Kabul. During the visit, he engaged with several returning women to discuss expanding employment opportunities and strengthening their reintegration process.

According to UNHCR, the visit aimed to explore ways to support women who have returned to the country after years of migration and are now striving to rebuild their lives through small economic activities. The World Bank is identified as a key player and major supporter in livelihood programs.

At the meeting, returning women voiced their challenges and needs related to access to capital, technical training, and the labor market. This comes amid extensive restrictions imposed by the Taliban administration on women’s work and social activities, severely limiting their employment opportunities and self-sufficiency, raising serious concerns about the economic future of women in the country.

International organizations have consistently emphasized that enhancing livelihood opportunities for returnees, especially women, plays a crucial role in social stability and preventing secondary migration. However, creating a safe and non-discriminatory environment for women’s economic activities is considered a fundamental prerequisite for the success of such programs — an issue that continues to face widespread criticism and concern.