US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, has called on the international community to equip Afghan women with the resources needed to access education, scholarships, work and other means to counter the restrictions imposed by the Islamic Emirate.
In talks with her counterparts and Afghan leaders and activists in the last month, Amiri said on X Saturday that approaches to improving the “devastating situation” in Afghanistan may differ, but those seeking to advance human rights must reflect the space for civic discourse and tolerance that they hope to engender in Afghanistan.
“We must collectively make clear to the Taliban (IEA) that, even as we engage to try to improve the devastating situation, there will be no progress in normalization unless they respect the rights of the Afghan people,” she said.
“We must continue to ensure that our statements in support of Afghans, particularly women, are matched with concrete support to equip them w/ the resources to access education, scholarships, work & other means to counter the Taliban’s (IEA) extreme & repressive measures,” she said.
Amiri said that there were several high-level events during the UN General Assembly, including a ministerial focused on the situation of Afghan women.
“The message is clear: the Taliban (IEA) cannot expect to be a part of the international community if it does not respect the rights of the Afghan people and erases half of the population,” she said.
She also said that in meetings with representatives of Muslim-majority countries on the sideline of the UNGA, there was consensus that “the Taliban’s (IEA) repressive policies, particularly against women and girls, are out of step with the world and devastating for Afghanistan.”
“We agreed that we must maintain international solidarity in support of Afghanistan and that we must continue supporting Afghan women & girls inside and outside Afghanistan through diplomatic and concrete efforts,” she said.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly stressed that it is committed to ensuring the rights of women and girls according to Sharia.
