UN Security Council calls to lift restrictions on Afghan women and girls

On Monday, more than two-thirds of the U.N. Security Council urged the de facto administration to evoke all policies targeting women and girls, such as prohibiting education beyond the sixth grade and limiting women’s employment opportunities.

A statement issued by 11 of the 15 council members strongly condemned the Taliban’s measures since assuming power in August 2021, emphasizing the imperative of women’s and girls’ equal involvement in various spheres of public life.

Guyana’s U.N. Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett delivered the statement, flanked by representatives from 10 other nations, before a closed-door council session on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent diplomatic engagements in Qatar.

The Taliban declined to participate in the Doha conference, asserting that its presence would be meaningful only if recognized as the sole legitimate representative of Afghanistan.

Despite the Taliban’s representative absence, U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo engaged with the de facto officials stationed in Doha, providing updates to council members during Monday’s session.

The 11 council members supporting the statement emphasized the necessity of inclusive political processes and the protection of human rights, particularly for women and girls, as fundamental to achieving sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

Notably, four Security Council nations – Russia, China, Mozambique, and Algeria – abstained from endorsing the joint statement.

Currently, Taliban officials have not made any statements regarding the United Nations Security Council and on the issue.

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