“Call for Immediate action to protect human rights and dignity in Afghanistan with special focus on women and girls

Written Statement to the UN Human Rights Council, and its Special Session on Afghanistan (August 24) –

Several women’s organisations including International Alliance of Women (IAW) have sent this statement.

Among other things the statement says:

Women play a crucial role as leaders in their communities, mothers in their families, and vital members of their societies and nation. Women have an important role for the stabilization of any society. We commend the UN bodies for their recognition that a bright future for Afghanistan rides on an inclusive and representative government. However, for women to be part of such a body, their rights and dignity as women and as major players in the society must be upheld today

The Women’s NGOs urge among other things:

1. Prioritising Humanitarian Aid: The crisis is humanitarian beyond political currently, which needs to be prioritised. We request and insist the councils and UN Bodies to stress upon member states, especially the neighbours of Afghanistan, to extend their maximum support for humanitarian aid. We also ask the international community to stress the Taliban to keep the borders and administration open for international humanitarian aid to reach the population of Afghanistan

Read the whole statement

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Photo: Green Highway sign image (picserver.org) by Nick Youngson used under Creative Commons License