International society and women’s right under non-democratic regime : the case study of Badakhshan province in Afghanistan

Abstract

This study explains how international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), especially United Nations agencies and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), adjusted their strategies to promote women's rights and empowerment in Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province between 2021 and 2024 under the second Taliban government. Following the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, Afghan women endured farreaching restrictions on education, employment, and freedom of movement. INGOs operating in such an oppressive climate were confronted with serious challenges in maintaining their gender-targeted programs. The broader puzzle of this thesis is how INGOs managed to sustain programs for women's empowerment in a regime ideologically adverse to gender equality. It also investigates why the Taliban tolerate selectively genderoriented programs even as they formally oppose women's rights. Theoretically underpinned by Gender and Development (GAD) theory and informed by political realism observations, the study investigates how INGOs rebranded women's rights activities as humanitarian aid, used low-key and culturally tailored tactics, and bargained with local governments to ensure continued access. Drawing on qualitative inquiry, including document analysis and semi-structured interviews with INGO field workers in Badakhshan. The findings demonstrate that under the regime of political repression, INGOs have been successful in delivering the pragmatic needs of women as well as promoting strategic gender interests cautiously. This thesis contributes to broader norm diffusion debates, NGO survival, and humanitarian policy under authoritarian regimes lacking state capacity