Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr President,
Aotearoa New Zealand welcomes the report provided by the Special Rapporteur and the Working Group.
We strongly endorse the report’s recommendations that the Taliban should rescind all discriminatory edicts and instructions issued since August 2021, and immediately restore women’s right to work for the UN, international NGOs, and the civil service in Afghanistan.
The increasingly dire human rights situation in Afghanistan is profoundly alarming. As noted in the report, every aspect of Afghan women and girls’ lives is being restricted under the guise of morality and through the instrumentalisation of religion. Along with Afghanistan’s devastating humanitarian and economic crises – what we are seeing is nothing short of catastrophic for many Afghans.
New Zealand is dismayed by the Taliban’s continued regressive edicts that further limit women’s and girls’ rights to fully participate in society, seek an education, or work in even the most vital of jobs like the provision of humanitarian assistance.
We call upon the Taliban to reverse these deplorable actions immediately, and to adhere to international human rights and international humanitarian law.
New Zealand will continue to stand by the brave people of Afghanistan, especially Afghan women and girls, and continue to contribute to international humanitarian support efforts. We strongly support the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and endorse their call for the international community to keep the situation of Afghan women and girls high on the international agenda.
We ask the Special Rapporteur and Working Group, what further accountability mechanisms are available to the international community to hold the Taliban to account for the human rights violations they perpetrate against the population of Afghanistan?
Thank you Mr President.