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Malala pleads with world to protect Afghan girls’ education
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by a gunman in Pakistan as she left school in 2012, pleaded with the world on Friday (September 24) not to compromise on the protection of Afghan women’s rights following the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) takeover.
As countries and organizations take the first steps to engage with the IEA, the 24-year-old Yousafzai said she worried the new government would act as they did when they were in power 20 years ago despite a sharp increase in work and education opportunities for Afghan women since then.
“We cannot make compromises on the protection of women’s rights and the protection of human dignity,” Yousafzai told a panel on girls’ education in Afghanistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
“Now is the time that we stick to that commitment and ensure that the rights of Afghan women are protected. And one of those important rights is the right to education,” said Yousafzai, who joined the panel by video.
Several world leaders promised to work for the rights of Afghan women and girls at the annual U.N. gathering this week, but it was unclear how they would do so.
The IEA say they have changed since their 1996-2001 rule, when they also barred women from leaving home without a male relative.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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