The US Special Representative for Afghanistan said on Saturday he is hopeful that there will be a reversal of the Islamic Emirate’s U-turn on girls’ education in the coming days.
“I am hopeful that we will see a reversal of this decision in the coming days” Thomas West, US special representative for Afghanistan, told the Doha Forum.
West acknowledged the Islamic Emirate had made promises to allow girls and women to go to school. “I was surprised at the turnaround this past Wednesday and I think you’ve seen the world react in condemning this move,” he said. “It is a breach, first and foremost, of the Afghan people’s trust because they made the commitment.”
“They were waiting outside their schools, but the gates were closed, and they were crying,” Malala Yousafzai said during a panel addressing prospects for women and girls in Afghanistan. “Why is it happening to them just because they’re girls? Why can’t they be studying? Why can’t they be learning?” She added.
The United States abruptly cancelled meetings with the Islamic Emirate in Doha that were set to address key economic issues, officials said on Friday.
“Their decision was a deeply disappointing and inexplicable reversal of commitments to the Afghan people, first and foremost, and also to the international community,” a US State Department spokesperson told Reuters.
Based the previous commitments and announcements by the Islamic Emirate, all girls’ schools were set to reopen on Wednesday. Girls beyond grade six, however, were not allowed to attend school on Wednesday and were told to wait until further notification.
This decision met sharp reactions from inside and outside Afghanistan.
In a joint statement on Friday, ten members of the UN Security Council called on the Islamic Emirate to reopen all girls’ schools across Afghanistan.
The joint statement was released by Albania, Brazil, France, Gabon, Ireland, Mexico, UK, US, Norway and UAE.
“Our message is clear: All girls in Afghanistan should be able to go to school,” the statement reads.
