Georgette Gagnon, who identified herself as a United Nations official, told the United Nations Security Council on Human Rights Day that Afghans face a deepening humanitarian, human-rights and economic crisis and urged stronger international support.

"Women and girls continue to be systematically excluded from almost all aspects of public life," Gagnon said, and she warned that "the ban on secondary and tertiary education for girls persists now into its fourth year," depriving Afghanistan of female doctors, entrepreneurs, teachers and leaders.

The briefing emphasized scale. "More than 23,000,000 Afghans, over half the population, continue to require humanitarian assistance in 2026," Gagnon said, adding that nearly 2,500,000 people returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, a figure she described as a "6% population increase" that has strained host communities and services. Citing the World Bank, she said GDP growth this year was expected to reach about 4.5% but that per-capita income would fall by about 4% because of the population increase.

Gagnon also described restrictions that hinder humanitarian operations and rights protections. She said the de facto authorities "continue to prevent U.N. female national staff from accessing U.N. premises countrywide," calling the practice a violation of their human rights and "the United Nations' charter" that undermines the UN's ability to deliver its mandate. She warned that media freedom is "increasingly restricted," with journalists facing intimidation, detention and censorship.

On livelihoods and counternarcotics, Gagnon cited UNODC findings that rural incomes have fallen sharply — "rural incomes have dropped by 48%" — and described multistakeholder work in the Doha process to design an action plan for alternative livelihoods. She said more funding and technical assistance are required to implement the plan.

Addressing security, Gagnon said the country is "outwardly calm" in many areas but warned of rising tensions with Pakistan over the presence and activities of the TTP, including cross-border exchanges of fire and air strikes that have caused civilian casualties and led to closures of key border posts. She welcomed Pakistan's recent decision to allow humanitarian supplies to cross the border and urged the parties "to respect the ceasefire in place."

Gagnon described an internal split within the de facto authorities — citing one faction that would isolate Afghanistan and another that recognizes the country's need for international links — and used a recent unannounced telecommunications shutdown, which she said had life-threatening effects on access to health care and emergency services, as an example of that split. She said the shutdown was reversed by a more pragmatic faction.

She referenced a 2023 independent assessment and what she described as "Security Council resolution 2721 of 2023," and said the United Nations has proposed a political road map as part of the Doha process to help advance reintegration into the international community once the de facto authorities meet their international obligations. "The United Nations remains committed to principled and pragmatic engagement," Gagnon said.

The presiding officer thanked Gagnon and opened the floor for the next speaker.