On September 18, 2024, I joined the 79th United Nations General Assembly Side Event on Afghanistan as a panelist, to present my research findings at the intersection of food insecurity and gender in Afghanistan. The recording of the event is available via UN Web TV, where my remarks and presentation appear at 01:00:00 to 01:10:00.

The topic of the UNGA 79 Side event was Aid Effectiveness in Afghanistan: Centering Women and Girls in the Fight Against Food Insecurity. The event was held in the United Nations Headquarters at New York, co-hosted by the Afghanistan Policy Lab (APL) at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations, co-sponsored with the Permanent Missions of Canada, Finland, and the United Kingdom to the UN.

The event focused on the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as the country is facing a deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in 2024, worsening conditions for women, and challenges with aid delivery that has exacerbated food insecurity. The side event convened key stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving aid distribution and ensuring women’s engagement in aid delivery and economic policies, which are essential to reaching vulnerable Afghans and promoting sustainable development.

As food insecurity and hunger are more prevalent among female-headed households than male-headed households in Afghanistan, my research suggests at least two specific policy areas for intervention:

• First, assisting female-led households in their home enterprises via market access and business services can reduce their food insecurity. My research shows that home employment, access to market, and mobile coverage are protective against food insecurity and hunger. Perhaps, business services can be tailored to help with access to market. For example, offering marketing services can help with product sales.


• Second, extra efforts are needed to get aid to female-led households because they have a higher prevalence of not receiving aid relative to male-led households. More specifically, if the goal of an aid operation is to reduce food insecurity, a simple question about preference for cash versus in-kind food can be helpful. Households that prefer in-kind food actually have a higher rate of food insecurity. However, aid can also take the form of kitchenware, heating devices, and water containers because all such assets reduce food insecurity in Afghanistan.