President, since our last Council briefing on Afghanistan, another school year has begun with secondary schools and higher education remaining closed to women and girls.
It is now over three years since the Taliban’s edict denying them their right to education.
The United Kingdom continues to unequivocally condemn this ban and urges its immediate reversal.
Education is not the only sector from which half of Afghanistan’s population is barred.
We remain deeply concerned by the Taliban’s shortsighted ban on women’s medical education and by the challenges Afghan women and girls face in accessing life-saving healthcare, including sexual and reproductive health services.
As we heard from Ms Bahous, nearly 8 in 10 young Afghan women are excluded from education, employment and training opportunities.
It is unacceptable that the Taliban’s restrictive edicts deny Afghan women and girls their rights and fundamental freedoms.
The United Kingdom supports calls for greater accountability efforts, including the referral of Afghanistan to the International Court of Justice for violations of CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The Taliban must also recognise the negative impact of their draconian policies on Afghanistan’s economic growth and long-term prosperity.
As Director Bahous has highlighted, the Taliban’s ban on secondary education for girls is estimated to cost $1.5 billion by 2030
During the last financial year, the UK distributed over $230 million in assistance to the Afghan people.
Last week, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation, we announced a new food security initiative, responding to climate-related challenges through the delivery of drought-resistant seeds and more nutritious crops, improved irrigation and training in sustainable farming practices.
Half a million Afghans are set to benefit from this UK-funded programme.
The UK has also continued to engage constructively with the UN-led process, including the comprehensive approach.
But reliance on humanitarian assistance is not sustainable in the long term, and the UK’s continued engagement in a process in which the Taliban are not fully committed or willing to take meaningful steps towards meeting their international obligations is not guaranteed.
We therefore urge the Taliban to reverse course and demonstrate their readiness to work towards an Afghanistan at peace with itself, its neighbours and the international community.
