14 Security Council Members Call for Lifting Restrictions on Afghan Women and Girls

Bayan News – Coinciding with the United Nations Security Council meeting, 14 members of the council issued a statement calling for the removal of restrictions imposed by the interim government on Afghan women and girls.

The statement, issued on Thursday night (December 12), was signed by representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, Denmark, Greece, and Panama, who are permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In their statement, the representatives urged the interim government to cease systematic human rights violations and revoke decrees that have stripped women and girls of their rights.

The representatives stated that the objectives the Taliban aim to achieve are unattainable if they continue on this path.

They declared: “We reiterate our call for the Taliban to immediately halt and reverse the systematic violations of human rights, particularly the discriminatory policies and practices that restrict women’s and girls’ enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Such abuses must end.”

The statement emphasized that the interim government must adhere to Afghanistan’s international commitments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and all relevant Security Council resolutions.

Security Council members called on Afghan women to participate in key discussions regarding the future of Afghanistan. They also stressed that countries and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) must work to promote a coherent approach toward the interim government and the people of Afghanistan.

The 14 Security Council members underscored that the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women and girls in all social issues and public life is essential. “Afghan women deserve to be educated and aspire to participate meaningfully in the economy and all aspects of society.”

The U.S. Department of State Reacts to the Ban on Girls’ Education in Medical Institutions