Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis prompts UN warning and India’s call for policy review

At a United Nations Security Council meeting, Georgette Gagnon, the UN Secretary‑General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, warned that despite surface stability, Afghanistan faces mounting economic, humanitarian and human‑rights pressures. She highlighted the return of nearly 6 million refugees, the need for aid for 21.9 million people by 2026, and that 3.8 million school‑aged girls remain out of school. Gagnon also cited restrictions on women, arrests of journalists and strained ties with Pakistan, including border closures.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni, urged a comprehensive reassessment of the global approach toward Afghanistan, condemning recent Pakistani airstrikes that UNAMA reports have caused roughly 800 civilian deaths and injuries in the first quarter of 2026. He called for policy tools that benefit the Afghan people rather than isolate the country and expressed full support for UNAMA’s humanitarian work.