Through various channels and in an increasingly difficult context, Luxembourg continued to support the Afghan population in 2024. The numerous decrees prohibiting women from working not only for national and international NGOs but also in many other sectors, and the problems they have in travelling alone and in appearing in public life, have made it more difficult to implement projects where women are placed on an equal footing with men, both as beneficiaries and as implementing partners.
At the end of 2024, the pilot project “Thrive – Enabling Access to the Job Market for Young Afghan Women”, by the German NGO Kiron Open Higher Education, successfully concluded. The project provided online vocational training and English language courses for young Afghan women, equipping them with the capacity to start their own businesses.
Since June 2023, Luxembourg has also been supporting the NGO Front Line Defenders (FLD) in its mission to protect human rights defenders. FLD provides practical support to human rights defenders at risk (50% of whom are women) through evacuation assistance, protection grants and safety advice. FLD is aimed primarily at marginalised individuals who do not have the opportunity to access other protection mechanisms or other organisations. In 2024, FLD supported 60 individuals, offering them security training and the possibility of relocation to other provinces or countries.