UN Chief António Guterres has warned that women and girls continue to face severe restrictions and discrimination in Afghanistan, urging stronger protection, accountability and meaningful participation in peace efforts.
Guterres made the remarks at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Tuesday, October 27, highlighting the denial of education to girls and the growing exclusion of women from public life.
He stressed that access to education is a fundamental right and warned that violence and discrimination in conflict-affected areas make women’s participation in peace negotiations increasingly important.
Women leaders, politicians, journalists and human rights defenders are being pushed to the margins and targeted, Guterres said, calling for greater financial support for women-led organizations and accountability for those responsible for violence against women.
The UN chief has repeatedly warned that restrictions imposed by the Taliban are undermining Afghanistan’s development and preventing women from participating fully in society. In a statement, he urged the Taliban authorities to lift restrictions on women and girls, including the ban preventing Afghan women UN personnel from accessing UN premises.
US Condemns Restrictions on Women and Girls in Afghanistan
Tammy Bruce, the US deputy representative to the United Nations, also condemned restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls, calling for their immediate removal.
Bruce said the Taliban had reversed decades of progress in Afghan women’s participation in peace and security over the past five years. She also stressed the importance of protecting women’s access to education, employment and professional opportunities.
The United States said it remained committed to defending the rights of women and girls and supporting their economic empowerment and participation in social, political and public life.
Afghan women face sweeping restrictions
Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have barred girls from secondary education and women from universities, while imposing extensive restrictions on employment, movement and participation in public life.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that these measures harm not only women and girls but also Afghanistan’s economic recovery, stability and prospects for reintegration into the international community.
In September, UN officials told the Security Council that the continued exclusion of women and girls was limiting Afghanistan’s development and that restrictions on female UN staff were also obstructing humanitarian operations.
The UN has called on the Taliban to restore girls’ access to education, remove barriers to women’s employment and ensure their full and meaningful participation in Afghanistan.
