International Day of Education: UNAMA says no country has thrived by leaving behind half its population

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in a statement on the occasion of the International Day of Education, has criticized the restrictions on girls’ education in the country, saying no country has thrived by leaving behind half its population.

UNAMA noted in the statement that it has been 1,225 days since the Islamic Emirate imposed a ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade.

“It is a travesty and tragedy that millions of Afghan girls have been stripped of their right to education. No country has ever thrived by disempowering and leaving behind half its population. The de facto authorities must end this ban immediately and allow all Afghan girls to return to school,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.

The International Day of Education, celebrated annually on January 24, underscores education’s critical role in achieving peace, development, and equality.

The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly stressed that restrictions on girls’ education are an internal Afghan issue and foreigners should not interfere.