Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi on Sunday met with WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Hanan Balkhy, and called for the organization’s cooperation including in the establishment of clinics in remote areas and training of specialists.

According to a statement released by his office, Hanafi pointed out that since the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan regained power, there has been progress in various fields, including the fight against drug production and trafficking, the roundup and treatment of drug addicts, the eradication of corruption and nationwide security.

He asked the WHO to hand over Afghanistan’s seat to the representative of the Islamic Emirate and restore Afghanistan’s membership in meetings of the executive board and leadership meetings of the Mediterranean region.

Hanafi also called for the cooperation of international organizations in providing alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers and in providing assistance to flood victims.

While stressing that the eradication of polio is one of the priorities of the Islamic Emirate, Hanafi asked the WHO to activate polio diagnosis laboratories and supply vaccines, establish a cancer treatment center, prevent malnutrition among children and provide safe drinking water.

According to the statement, WHO official Balkhy said in the meeting that the health issue is non-political and one of the priorities of the organization.

She pointed to the achievements of the Islamic Emirate in various fields and expressed hope that better conditions will be provided for Afghans in the health and education sector.

Balkhy explained that WHO, together with other international organizations and the European Union, has a three-year project that includes the establishment of health centers in different provinces of Afghanistan.

She also expressed her appreciation for the efforts of the Islamic Emirate in the fight against polio and added that she will discuss the issue of providing alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers with the WHO and other relevant organizations.

The 15th summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Gambia on Sunday called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to respect Afghan girls and women’s right to education and work.

In a declaration, OIC described the right to education and work as the fundamental rights of Afghan girls and women, and called for more communication with the IEA authorities on these issues.

Additionally, the participants emphasized the need for more efforts to address the challenges related to ethnic groups, drugs, terrorism, and social issues to ensure inclusive governance and sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

“We also emphasize the need to make more efforts to address the challenges associated with ethnic groups, terrorism, drugs and social aspects for inclusive governance to achieve sustainable stability,” the declaration said.

Delegations from the 57 OIC member states attended the conference, organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation under the theme “Enhancing unity and solidarity through dialogue for sustainable development.”.

The summit was also attended by an IEA delegation.

The Permanent Representative of Afghanistan in Geneva Nasir Ahmad Andisha says the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has approved the national human rights report on Afghanistan.

Ahmad Andisha said at the Geneva meeting that after comprehensive reviews, 243 recommendations from 70 countries show the worsening of the human rights situation in Afghanistan.

In the review of the human rights situation in Afghanistan in the fourth period, 243 opinions were received from 70 countries, who expressed concern about the worsening human rights situation and suggested that an impartial and independent investigation be conducted on human rights violations in Afghanistan.

However, the Islamic Emirate has always considered human rights as an internal issue and emphasized that human rights, especially women’s rights, are more secure in the country than ever before.

“The Islamic and Sharia rights of all Afghan citizens are guaranteed. The Islamic Emirate is committed to ensuring the rights of its citizens,” said Hamdullah Fitrat, IEA’s deputy spokesman.