France Warns Afghanistan Cannot Progress Without Women's Participation in Public Life

On the third anniversary of the Taliban's return to power in Kabul, France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Afghanistan's progress is impossible if women continue to be excluded from public life.

The French government stressed that the country's return to normalcy cannot occur while violence and threats against women persist.

In a statement released on Friday, August 16, the French Foreign Ministry condemned the severe violations of women’s and girls’ rights in Afghanistan, labelling the Taliban's ban on female education and employment as "unacceptable and unjustifiable”.

The French government reiterated its commitment to using all diplomatic and humanitarian measures to improve the situation for the Afghan people, even three years after the Taliban took control.

Additionally, the French Foreign Ministry accused the Taliban of failing to adhere to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2593, highlighting the group's repeated human rights violations and lack of compliance with international obligations.

This statement follows recent remarks by Germany’s Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, who harshly criticised the Taliban regime for destroying the hopes of millions of Afghan women and girls, effectively confining them to "house arrest”.