The United Kingdom, the United States and senior United Nations officials have called for Afghan women and girls to have a greater role in shaping their country’s future, criticizing restrictions on their rights and exclusion from public life.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Women, Peace and Security on October 27, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Kate Foster said women and girls in Afghanistan had been systematically excluded from public life and decision-making.

“Their voices must be central to discussions about the country’s future,” Foster said, stressing that lasting peace cannot be achieved while half of the population is excluded from decisions that shape society.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also highlighted restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, alongside Mali, Yemen and Somalia, saying they were facing further crackdowns on their rights.

Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, said Afghan women and girls continued to be systematically excluded from public life and denied a voice in determining their country’s future.

Tammy Bruce, the US deputy representative to the United Nations, said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan continued to deny young Afghan women opportunities to pursue education, secure employment and receive training.

“Over the past five years, the Taliban (IEA) have systematically reversed decades of hard-won progress on women’s participation in peace and security,” Bruce said. “These practices are unacceptable and must cease immediately.”

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has imposed restrictions on women and girls’ access to education, employment and public life since returning to power in August 2021. These measures have drawn repeated criticism from the United Nations and international human rights organizations.

The Islamic Emirate has maintained that restrictions are internal matters for Afghanistan and has called on other countries and organizations not to interfere in the country’s domestic affairs.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Economy, Din Mohammad Hanif, met on Tuesday with Turhan Saleh, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Afghanistan, to discuss expanding development cooperation, supporting the private sector and implementing development projects.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Hanif said sanctions, the freezing of Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves, the United Nations’ non-recognition of the Islamic Emirate and the suspension of international development assistance had affected the country’s economic development.

He also highlighted economic growth, increased domestic production, efforts to combat drug cultivation and water resource management. Hanif identified climate change and the large-scale return of migrants as additional factors putting pressure on the country’s economy and society.

The minister said providing shelter and building roads, schools, clinics and water supply networks for returnees were among the government’s priorities. He added that infrastructure and production projects could help create jobs, increase household incomes, reduce poverty and support sustainable economic growth.

Meanwhile, Saleh welcomed Afghanistan’s economic achievements over the past five years and reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to continuing development cooperation with the country.

He also expressed the organization’s readiness to support efforts to combat drug cultivation, construct check dams, implement development projects, provide training programmes and support small businesses and the private sector.

The meeting concluded with both sides emphasizing the need for stronger coordination and continued cooperation to expand economic opportunities, create jobs and promote sustainable development in Afghanistan.