RASC News Agency: Nine nations have issued a joint statement supporting the extension of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and endorsing the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s request for the arrest of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Abdul Hakim Haqqani. In their statement, titled “Women, Peace, and Security in Afghanistan,” France, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom strongly condemned what they described as the Taliban’s systematic and institutionalized gender-based oppression. The statement underscored that women and girls in Afghanistan have been systematically excluded from public life and silenced, while the Taliban actively entrenches a regime of gender-based persecution, harassment, and repression.
“The Taliban have issued more than 80 decrees and directives specifically aimed at dismantling the autonomy, rights, and everyday lives of women and girls,” the statement asserted. The nine signatory nations members of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda within the UN Security Council highlighted the Taliban’s “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” policy, the ban on female education in public and private medical institutions, and the prohibition of women’s employment with the UN and humanitarian organizations, all of which they described as a deliberate escalation of gender-based oppression. “We support all measures that seek to hold the Taliban accountable for their widespread and deeply entrenched violations of women’s and girls’ human rights,” the statement continued. The signatories reaffirmed their endorsement of the ICC prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against the Taliban leadership, citing crimes of gender-based persecution, systemic oppression, and gender-targeted torture.
The statement also emphasized that the UN Security Council, through Resolutions 2593 (2021) and 2681 (2023), has unequivocally affirmed that the full, equal, and meaningful participation of Afghanistani women and girls is essential for the country’s peace, stability, and sustainable development. The nations further stressed the necessity of women’s inclusion in Afghanistan’s long-term progress, as well as in all diplomatic and security efforts. Highlighting the crucial role of Afghanistani women in shaping the country’s future, the statement called for their involvement in diplomatic initiatives, including the UN-led Doha Process, newly established working groups, and the Central Asian Women Leaders’ Caucus.
France, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the UK reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to supporting UNAMA’s continued presence in Afghanistan, alongside other UN agencies, funds, and programs dedicated to assisting the Afghanistani people, particularly women and girls. “We emphasize that all UN member states and agencies, including UNAMA, must work in a coordinated manner to defend and promote the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,” the statement concluded, while also fully endorsing the extension of UNAMA’s mandate.
This development follows a recent request by ICC prosecutors urging the court to issue arrest warrants for the Taliban’s top leadership on charges of gender-based crimes and crimes against humanity.
