UN Security Council Once Again Calls For Review Of Taliban's Misogynistic Policies

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) announced that its members reiterated their support for the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General.

The statement said that the members of the Security Council are deeply concerned with the continuing negative impact of the Taliban’s policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms on Afghanistan’s peace, stability and development and its people.

In a statement issued by the Security Council on Friday, December 27, the results of the Security Council's meeting on Afghanistan on December 12 were reported.

The declaration emphasises on the commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan. Security Council members have called for urgent action to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid and to restore financial and banking systems.

Members of the council called on the Taliban to repeal restrictive policies, especially on the rights of women and girls. According to the statement, women's and girls' access to education and their full participation in Afghanistan's development is vital to building trust between the international community and Afghanistan.

Following the publication of the statement, Afghanistan's representative to the United Nations, Nasir Ahmad Faiq, thanked Japan and the Security Council for focusing on women's rights, humanitarian needs and calling for an inclusive political dialogue.

"Reversing restrictive policies and developing a political roadmap are vital steps to building a stable, inclusive and prosperous Afghanistan," Faiq said.

The members of the Security Council stressed on the importance of developing a political roadmap that can transform Afghanistan into a stable and integrated country in the international community with the participation of all internal and external stakeholders.

In this statement, the Security Council considered drug trafficking as one of the sources of financing of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and emphasised on the need to support alternative livelihoods to reduce poppy cultivation.