14 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Eleven of the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council have called on the Taliban fundamentalist movement to lift the ban on women’s participation in secondary and university education, as well as their work as humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan.
Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, the United Arab Emirates, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, express “their grave concern over the critical situation of women and girls in Afghanistan,” according to the conclusions of the meeting. of the Security Council this past Friday, collected by the permanent mission of Switzerland to the international institution.
“We urge the Taliban to immediately reverse all oppressive measures against women and girls, adhere to their commitments set out in United Nations Security Council 2593 and respect the rights of women and girls, and their participation and full, equitable and meaningful inclusion in all aspects of society in Afghanistan,” they add.
The signatories understand that women are a “key” element in operations to alleviate the humanitarian situation due to their access to populations that their male colleagues cannot reach. “Without their involvement in aid delivery in Afghanistan and their essential expertise, NGOs will not be able to reach those who need it most, particularly women and girls, to provide life-saving materials and services,” they say.
“We reiterate the Council’s demand to all parties to allow full, safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian actors, regardless of their gender,” they add.
Finally, the signatories recall that “a stable, economically viable and peaceful Afghanistan is only achievable and sustainable if all Afghans, including women and girls, have access to education.”
