UN Security Council Members Condemn Taliban's Gender Discrimination in Afghanistan

Condemnation of Taliban Policies

• 🌍 Representatives from Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom strongly condemn the Taliban's ongoing and institutionalized gender-based discrimination and violence.
• ⚖️ This discrimination is stated to potentially amount to gender persecution, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.
• 💔 The group expresses unwavering support for the women and girls of Afghanistan and offers condolences for those affected by the recent earthquake.

Impact on Humanitarian Aid and Freedoms

• 🆘 The Taliban's restrictions on women's access to humanitarian services are criticized for denying vulnerable groups, especially women and girls, life-saving assistance.
• 🚫 The enforcement of the "law on the propagation of a virtue and prevention of a vice" is highlighted as severely impeding women's fundamental freedoms, economic rights, and access to healthcare.
• 🗣️ Women are reportedly deprived of the right to speak in public, and threats and harassment against UN personnel are condemned.

Calls for Reversal and Accountability

• 📜 The Taliban are demanded to immediately reverse all laws, policies, and practices that restrict the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls.
• 🤝 Afghanistan's obligations under international law, including CEDAW and relevant Security Council resolutions (2593 and 2681), must be upheld.
• ⚖️ Efforts to fight impunity and ensure accountability for international crimes, including gender-based crimes, are supported, noting the ICC's arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders.

Support for Afghan Women and Girls

• 💪 Solidarity is expressed with Afghan women and girls who demonstrate extraordinary resilience despite near-total restrictions, sustaining businesses, working as humanitarian workers and midwives, and leading communities.
• 🎓 The Taliban are called upon to uphold the right of Afghan girls to pursue education beyond primary school, including medical training.
• 💼 A call is made to immediately reopen avenues for women's economic participation and their right to work and participate in all spheres of public life.
• 🕊️ The Taliban must completely cease targeting Afghan women human rights defenders, civil society representatives, and peacebuilders.

Collective Resolve and Commitment

• 📅 Marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 25th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, this situation is a defining test of collective resolve.
• 🌟 As members of the Security Council, there is an affirmation of unwavering commitment to ensuring the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society, and their protection from violence and discrimination.