Central Asian countries are providing educational opportunities for Afghan women as part of a broader effort to promote gender equality and counter the Taliban’s repression.

As Afghanistan continues to unravel under the Taliban’s renewed grip, Central Asia is quietly becoming a sanctuary for Afghan women seeking education and empowerment. In a rare show of regional coordination, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have stepped into a role long neglected by the West: providing Afghan women with a path forward.

This initiative, first launched in 2019 through a partnership between the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has already enrolled dozens of Afghan women in universities across Central Asia. By 2027, more than 100 are expected to graduate with academic and professional degrees—a powerful rebuttal to the Taliban’s systematic erasure of women from public life.

The urgency of this project is underscored by a recent joint declaration, signed by multiple stakeholders, that explicitly connects these efforts to the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy (2024–2029). One of the Strategy’s pillars is to bolster women’s rights in response to geopolitical instability. The fall of Kabul and the Taliban’s return to power, the declaration argues, “has shown the fragility of progress in women’s rights and exposed the vulnerabilities of women and girls.”

For many Afghan women, the ability to study abroad isn’t just an educational opportunity—it’s an existential necessity. Since the Taliban’s takeover, secondary education for girls has been banned, women have been barred from most jobs, and female NGOs have been shuttered. Even the act of traveling without a male guardian has become perilous.

The international community’s reaction has ranged from vocal condemnation to slow-moving policy responses. But in Central Asia, a more pragmatic strategy is quietly gaining traction. These neighboring nations—once part of the same Soviet sphere—share cultural and linguistic ties with parts of Afghanistan. They also have a vested interest in regional stability and, increasingly, in soft diplomacy.

Kazakhstan, in particular, has emerged as a key player. During the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed the creation of a UN Regional Centre for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be based in Almaty. This initiative, now formalized under UNGA Resolution 79/268, will prioritize gender equality—specifically SDG 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”

Stakeholders hope this new UN Regional Hub will become a nexus for coordinating international support—not only for Afghan women but for the broader region. The declaration calls on all Council of Europe member states to back the center, stressing that its role is not just administrative but symbolic. It represents a commitment to protecting progress where it is most threatened.

But challenges remain. Central Asian universities must grapple with linguistic barriers, cultural sensitivities, and limited resources. Some institutions rely on donor funding, which is politically fragile. Others face local resistance to what some see as “outsiders” receiving preferential treatment.

Still, the model is working. Many Afghan students have reported finding a degree of freedom in Central Asia that would have been unimaginable in today’s Kabul. They attend lectures, build networks, and, perhaps most importantly, become living testaments to what international solidarity can achieve.

The program’s success may also reflect shifting geopolitical dynamics. With the West recalibrating its role in Afghanistan, regional actors are stepping in—not with boots on the ground, but with scholarships, training programs, and infrastructure support. In this context, gender equality becomes more than a moral imperative; it becomes a stabilizing force.

As the declaration notes, “We call on Council of Europe member States to support and co-operate with this upcoming UN Regional Hub as a key platform for co-ordinating international efforts.” It is a rare plea for multilateralism at a time when global consensus feels increasingly out of reach.

For Afghan women denied even the fundamental right to attend school, these efforts may seem modest. But they are not symbolic gestures. They are bridges—between despair and agency, between isolation and community. And in a region too often viewed through the lens of conflict, they offer a counter-narrative: one of resilience, education, and hope.

Signed,

Laura Castel, Spain, UEL
Gergely Arató, Hungary, SOC
Petra Bayr, Austria, SOC
Alice Bernard, Belgium, UEL
Sevilay Çelenk Özen, Turkey, UEL
Andrea Eder-Gitschthaler, Austria, EPP/CD
Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo, Monaco, ALDE
Andrej Hunko, Germany, UEL
Ettore Antonio Licheri, Italy, UEL
George Loucaides, Cyprus, UEL
Alessandra Maiorino, Italy, UEL
María Luz Martínez Seijo, Spain, SOC
Maria Mezentseva, Ukraine, EPP/CD
Olena Moshenets, Ukraine, ALDE
Zsolt Németh, Hungary, ECPA
Christine Pasquier-Ciulla, Monaco, EPP/CD
Agnes Sirkka Prammer, Austria, SOC
Stefan Schennach, Austria, SOC
Georgios Stamatis, Greece, EPP/CD
Vladimir Vardanyan, Armenia, EPP/CD
Markus Wiechel, Sweden, ECPA