UNAMA Calls for Alternative Livelihoods and Support for Women in Badakhshan

DID Press: Georgette Gagnon, acting head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, has called for greater investment in alternative livelihoods and continued support for women during a visit to Badakhshan province.

Gagnon met with local officials, community elders and other stakeholders in Badakhshan to discuss local challenges, the situation of women and the impact of narcotics.

In Fayzabad, she met with women entrepreneurs and visited a treatment and support center for people affected by drug addiction that operates with UN support.

She also visited a women’s safe space and a women-led dairy production and processing center in Khash district. According to the United Nations, the facility provides sustainable livelihoods as an alternative to poppy cultivation.

Gagnon reaffirmed the UN’s continued support for the people of Afghanistan, stressing that greater investment is needed to expand alternative development opportunities and create sustainable livelihoods.