The speed of the Taliban takeover of Kabul has shocked people globally, as have the scenes that followed, with many citizens desperately trying to access the airport and leave the country.
At the Institute of Development Studies, we share this shock and concern for citizens across Afghanistan. Together with the University of Sussex we are also deeply concerned for the talented Afghans awarded UK Government-backed Chevening Scholarships to study in the UK but who are now facing great uncertainty over necessary documentation for travel. Our Director Prof Melissa Leach has been strongly urging the UK Foreign Secretary to urgently find a way to help these scholars to safely arrive in the UK and take up their places to study here as planned.
Beyond the urgent priorities of evacuation, refugee settlement and humanitarian aid programmes, IDS researchers and partners have begun to reflect on wider implications of the crisis in Afghanistan. Here they provide some initial comment and perspectives based on ongoing research around issues including freedom of religion and belief, the rights of woman and girls and on the potential impacts for neighbouring Pakistan and the wider region.
Afghanistan crisis and implications for the future – Institute of Development Studies (ids.ac.uk)
