UN Refugee Chief Calls for Practical Action for Afghan Girls
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has called on the international community to turn its commitments to supporting Afghan girls and returnees into practical action.
Speaking at the 77th session of the Executive Committee of UNHCR, he said that since late 2023, nearly seven million people have returned to Afghanistan from neighbouring countries. According to him, many of them have returned under difficult circumstances and, at times, against their will.
The UN refugee chief added that Afghan communities are facing poverty, a lack of services and restrictions imposed on women and girls, and that returnees need greater support to reintegrate into society.
He said UN agencies and their partners, including the UN Development Programme, are supporting the reintegration process for returnees, but the scale of the problems requires far greater investment and assistance from the international community.
Referring to a meeting with a young girl in Kabul, Grandi said the restrictions on women and girls have made their future more difficult. He stressed that Afghan girls must be able to go to school, make decisions about their lives and have the opportunity to pursue their aspirations.
He added that Afghan girls do not want the international community to simply speak about their dreams, but to create opportunities for those dreams to be realized. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees urged world leaders to turn their commitments into concrete decisions and action, saying they have the power to make a difference.
The remarks come as the Taliban authorities have repeatedly claimed that the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are guaranteed in line with Islamic law; however, their sweeping restrictions on the education and social lives of women and girls continue.
