Deputy UN chief says IEA only concerned about ‘recognition’

The UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who has just wrapped up a two week trip to Afghanistan and the region, told reporters in New York on Wednesday that she had tried to get the voices of Afghan women heard at all her meetings with Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials.

According to her, the Islamic Emirate’s only emphasis was on their government being recognized globally and having a representative in the United Nations.

“I know we have to be very careful about recognition based on our criteria, because the road is very narrow and slippery and if you don’t get things right, it will cause a slide,” Mohammed said adding “how can we have the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) in the international community and have them comply with the standards through bargaining?”

According to her, she met with the officials of the Islamic Emirate in Kabul and Kandahar, and in Herat Province she met with a number of women who had lost their jobs as a result of the restrictions of the Islamic Emirate.

She said 30% of the workforce in Afghanistan are women, and non-governmental institutions do not replace women employees with men.

Mohammad said the IEA stated that they “want to keep women away from western culture”.

“They continued to strengthen their beliefs and tried to teach me what human standards are? My answer was that I reminded them that the standards of human rights include eliminating discrimination and that what they are doing is discrimination against every woman and girl,” she said.

She also stated that problems for women and girls were increasing daily in Afghanistan and that essentially she is not sure when the Islamic Emirate will change its strict measures.

But she stressed that the countries around the world, especially Muslim countries, should work to encourage the Islamic Emirate to accept the demands of the international community.

She also stated that two regional delegations, including representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), will visit Afghanistan in mid-March to discuss the right of women to education and work with the authorities of the Islamic Emirate.