New York, (TDI): The United Nations Security Council will meet today (Wednesday) to discuss the human rights situation in Afghanistan.
The session will feature briefings from Roza Otunbayeva, head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA); Sima Bahous, executive director of U.N. Women; and a representative from Afghan civil society.
This meeting follows rising international concern over the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls.
On September 6, after the Taliban announced a new morality law, several Security Council members called on the group to immediately reverse its policies restricting women’s rights in the country.
The Council expressed serious concern over the continued limitations on women’s education, employment, and freedom of movement.
In a joint statement from 12 Council members, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan, the Taliban were urged to respect the rights of Afghan women and girls.
“The Taliban must listen to and act upon the voices of Afghan women and girls by safeguarding their rights to education, work, and their freedoms of expression and movement,” the statement read.
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The statement also condemned the Taliban’s systemic gender discrimination, warning that the newly introduced morality directive would only worsen the already harsh restrictions on Afghan women.
The decree grants inspectors wide-ranging authority to enforce policies limiting women’s participation in public life.
“This latest decree further entrenches the already unacceptable restrictions on the human rights and basic freedoms of all Afghans,” the statement said, adding that these policies would have long-term detrimental effects on Afghanistan’s future.
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Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, the Security Council has consistently expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
In April 2023, the Council passed Resolution 2681, unanimously calling for the full and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghan society.
The upcoming session is expected to reinforce that message, emphasizing the need to reverse policies that jeopardize Afghanistan’s stability and progress.
