UNAMA Chief in Security Council Meeting: Women’s Rights Continuously and Systematically Discriminated Against

Bayan News – Rosa Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and the Chief of UNAMA in Afghanistan, says that in the current circumstances, key human rights, including women’s and girls’ rights, are continuously and systematically discriminated against.

The United Nations Security Council meeting was held on Thursday evening (20th December) Afghanistan time, with a focus on this country, and in this meeting, the UNAMA Chief provided information to the council members about the current situation in Afghanistan.

Otunbayeva stated, “Many Afghan citizens have informed me that they are concerned and may be forgotten, so my role and that of UNAMA is to prevent such an occurrence.”

Referring to the human rights situation in Afghanistan, she added, “One of the key and fundamental characteristics of human rights today in Afghanistan is continuous and systematic discrimination against women. The absence of meaningful representation for minorities, continued extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions, misconduct and torture. Despite the release of two women activists, the number of media workers and civil rights activists who are imprisoned is still increasing.”

The UNAMA Chief emphasized that Afghanistan has ratified international treaties, which are non-negotiable on the part of the United Nations.

She further described the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan as alarming and stressed that with the onset of winter, more than 20 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and due to the decrease in international aid, many Afghans are in need compared to last year.

The US representative in the Security Council meeting, in her remarks, pointed out the restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan and highlighted that until women have real access to education, work, and social life, the United States will not consider normalizing relations with the Taliban.

Meanwhile, some representatives of Security Council member countries in this meeting urged the world community to abandon its failed approach towards Afghanistan.

Nasiba Lana, the UAE Ambassador, added that her country supports a realistic but principle-based approach to Afghanistan and isolating this country will not benefit anyone.

The United Arab Emirates described the security situation in Afghanistan in the Security Council as deteriorating and emphasized that attacks by non-state actors from Afghanistan on Pakistan would be alarming.

However, Afghan Islamic Emirate officials have consistently denied allegations of using Afghan soil against other countries in the past year and have stated that they will not allow the use of Afghan soil against other countries.