Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr President,
New Zealand welcomes the report provided by the High Commissioner and endorses its recommendations.
New Zealand is gravely concerned to hear of continued serious human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Afghan women and girls continue to suffer from incidents of domestic violence, sexual assault, and harmful practices such as child marriages and forced marriages. There are also allegations of abductions and disappearances of civil society protesters, extrajudicial killings of civilians and members of Afghan national security forces, and other disproportionate uses of force – as reported by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and others.
We reiterate our calls on all parties in Afghanistan, including the de facto authorities, to abide by their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law.
We urge the rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief and personnel, and of those wishing to depart Afghanistan. We call on the de facto authorities to guarantee and protect the human rights of women and girls, of ethnic, religious and other minority groups, including their rights to education and employment.
We recognise the High Commissioner’s calls to the international community. Aotearoa New Zealand has contributed six million dollars towards multilateral humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan since August 2021.
Thank you Mr President.