Afghanistan UN Envoy Warns Women’s Exclusion Threatens Country’s Future
Nasir Ahmad Faeeq, Afghanistan’s representative to the United Nations, stated at a Security Council meeting that, five years after the Taliban’s takeover, extensive restrictions on girls’ education, human rights, and political participation persist, posing a serious threat to the country’s future.
He said girls remain deprived of secondary and higher education, and women have been systematically excluded from public life, civil society activities, and independent media. According to him, this amounts to the elimination of half the population from participating in the national destiny, a move with profound social and economic consequences.
Faeeq highlighted that the power structure within the Taliban administration lacks accountability, inclusive participation, and popular legitimacy, creating fundamental challenges to current governance. He also expressed concerns over transparency in the use of state resources, emphasizing that the absence of oversight and accountability increases both domestic and international mistrust.
The Afghan UN representative asserted that restrictions on women and girls, bans on civil activities, and pressure on free media contradict international human rights standards and hinder the establishment of lasting stability in the country. He warned that continuing these policies not only deepens the current crisis but also weakens prospects for development and constructive engagement with the global community.
Faeeq stressed that while humanitarian aid is essential to alleviate people’s suffering, it cannot substitute for a comprehensive political solution. He stated that the way out of Afghanistan’s crisis lies solely in creating an inclusive political structure based on the will of the people.
