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Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, nearly 50% of media outlets in Afghanistan have ceased their operations. An estimated 90% of women journalists have lost their jobs, with many more media workers fleeing the country or forced into hiding. In response, 91�鶹������Ʒ���� focused on providing lifeline resources to support the Afghan media sector and work towards its long-term sustainability. 

The EU-funded project , implemented from January 2022 to April 2024, has contributed to addressing and mitigating some of the challenges facing Afghan media. It has done so through fostering continued access to information of the Afghan population, humanitarian information, and educational broadcasting, with a specific focus on women journalists, youth, and minority groups.

Employment opportunities: The project has provided employment opportunities to 426 journalists in over 30 media. Of those journalists, 32% are women.  

Improved access to information: Over 17 million Afghan citizens gained improved access to humanitarian and educational information through the development and broadcasting of over 2500 reports and contents adhering to journalistic professional international standards. Notably, 1238 programs addressing public interest topics, and 1850 episodes of informal education classes were aired on radio platforms.  

Local partnerships: In implementing this project, 91�鶹������Ʒ���� worked closely with 38 local partners across Afghanistan, including not for profit media, commercial media, NGOs and relevant media associations.

Support for Women-led media: The revival of seven women-led radio stations underscores the project's impact on amplifying their voices. These stations are crucial in providing alternative learning opportunities via radio and TV, especially since girls and women are no longer allowed to attend secondary school and higher education.

Moreover, the initiative monitored the evolving media landscape, providing insight reports on the situation of women journalists, the status of media outlet status, and threats against journalists. Financial support was extended to 38 media entities, coupled with managerial training to enhance their media resilience. 

A radio facing imminent closure, found a new lease on life, as the head of the station describes:

“We were about to close the radio, and this was really bad news for the communities. Because of the help provided, our broadcasting increased from 3 hours a day to 12 hours a day.”

Local communities and reporters were empowered through training programs, resulting in the production of 80 pieces of community-based reporting across five provinces, ensuring that their voices were heard.

“I’ve been working for the organization for almost nine years, and in the last seven months, more than 10 women have been working on writing”&�Բ�����;

- Community volunteer trained under the project.

Throughout the duration of the project, approximately 880 journalists underwent comprehensive training on safety protocols, and journalistic best practices, with a significant proportion being women. Furthermore, the project facilitated on-the-job training for 100 journalism students, with nearly half securing positions within Afghan media outlets, ensuring a pipeline for future media professionals.

Based on the project’s outcomes, several recommendations emerge to sustain the results achieved and work towards new goals: 

• Support for Women Journalists and leveraging media for alternative education are crucial for addressing key societal challenges. Continue to provide employment opportunities, leadership roles, and training for women journalists to ensure their vital voices are heard and promote balanced media representation. 

• Alternative Education: Enhance coordination among media outlets to develop educational programs to mitigate the adverse effects of the education ban for girls in grade seven and higher. Alternative education in partnership with media in the future also needs to consider possible avenues for learning “certification”, which would allow girls to reintegrate into schools in the case the ban will be lifted.

In a , 82% of the media consulted indicated their involvement in producing educational content. On average, the media allocates 50% of their programming to education.

• Journalist Safety  and Training: Advocate for journalist safety and provide long-term capacity building for young journalists to promote freedom of expression, accurate information dissemination during crises, and a skilled journalism workforce.

The lessons-learnt from this project are shaping UNESCO's and partners future strategies to address the evolving needs of Afghanistan's media landscape. In this regard, 91�鶹������Ʒ���� organised a coordination meeting with representatives of the European Union and media support organizations, calling for continued support to the Afghan media sector. The Organization regularly informs its member states, key partners and donors about the central role media can play in addressing emerging needs such as reintegration of returnees, disaster preparedness and response, access to information, independent reporting on humanitarian aid as well as the psychological resilience of women. 

The collaborative efforts undertaken through projects like "Support to Afghan Media Resilience" highlight the critical role of media in Afghanistan. Learn more about the project’s key achievements, activities, field testimonies and recommendation, in our .