UK, UN and US urge greater role for Afghan women in shaping their country’s future

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.