Mr. President,
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his latest report, which provides a stark account of developments over the past year and exposes the devastating impact of five years of Taliban policies on children’s rights in Afghanistan.
Since 2021, Taliban authorities have systematically deprived women and girls of their fundamental rights. Gender persecution has entrenched over the past year, further dismantling already limited legal protections. Among other measures, a new criminal procedure code recognizes only “excessive” beating as domestic violence against women , leaving survivors of other forms of abuse with no pathways to justice. A decree on judicial separation of spouses eliminates minimum-age protections for the marriage of girls.
Journalists, human rights defenders, peaceful protesters, and former government employees continue to face arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and other grave abuses.
UN member countries should maintain their resolve and develop a credible strategy for protection, prevention and accountability in Afghanistan.
The Special Rapporteur’s independent monitoring, reporting, and engagement with Afghan civil society remain indispensable. We urge all countries to support the full renewal of his mandate, work towards the implementation of his recommendations, and ensure his office has the necessary resources, and request regular reporting on the situation.
The Council’s new independent accountability mechanism will be a vital and complementary tool. It should be operationalized urgently and equipped with sufficient staffing and funding to securely collect, preserve, and analyze evidence, identify those responsible for abuses, and prepare case files for national and international proceedings.
Countries should not normalize engagement with the Taliban without clear and measurable human rights benchmarks. And no state should forcibly return anyone to Afghanistan, where persecution is systematic and well documented. Additionally, states should make gender apartheid a crime against humanity under international law, and support and protect International Criminal Court efforts to prosecute those responsible for gender persecution and other grave international crimes in Afghanistan.
Afghan victims, survivors and their families have waited far too long for truth, justice, and reparation.
Thank you.
