Mr President,
Estonia fully aligns with the statement delivered by the European Union.
We supported and welcome today’s timely debate on the situation of the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. Contrary to the Taliban’s repeated public commitments to respect human rights, they have increasingly and systematically violated the human rights of the Afghan people, particularly the rights of women and girls.
For over 10 months, teenage girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education, depriving them of a meaningful future. In addition, a number of policies and measures limiting women’s freedom of movement, freedom of association and expression, access to employment and fair and effective justice have had a deeply negative impact on women and girls in Afghanistan. Through these various policies, the Taliban aims to gradually exclude women and girls from all spheres of public life in Afghanistan.
We expect the Taliban to listen to the voices of Afghan women and girls and to adhere to their earlier commitments on respect for human rights. In order to achieve sustainable peace and development in Afghanistan, it is essential to ensure the full, equal, effective and meaningful participation of women and girls in all spheres of life, and to establish a genuinely inclusive government, that represents all parts of the Afghan society.
Thank you.