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GENEVA (20 March 2023) UN experts* today said the ongoing unlawful denial of girls and young womens right to education in Afghanistan marks a global nadir in education, impacting an entire gender, a generation and the future of the country. They issue the following statement:

On 22 March 2023, schools should be reopening to girls across Afghanistan. Instead, it appears that for the second successive school year teenage girls will be banned from resuming their studies - making Afghanistan the only country in the world that forbids girls and young women from attending secondary school and places of higher education.

Education is an enabling right, which is crucial in and of itself and for realising other human rights such as the rights to work, to an adequate standard of living, to health, to participate in society and communities, to equality before the law and to fundamental freedoms. Denying this right to half the population effectively denies women and girls most other human rights.

The Taliban de facto authorities have no justification to deny the right to education, on any grounds, including religion or tradition. Being a state party to United Nations human rights treaties, notably the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Afghanistan is obliged to respect, protect and fulfil the right to education without discrimination on the basis of gender or any other ground, irrespective of the authority in power.

The Taliban denied women and girls their right to education during their initial rule in the country between 1996 and 2001 and after seizing power for a second time in 2021, girls beyond puberty were again denied their right to education. Both times, the ban on girls education was introduced as a temporary measure. However, during the first period the ban was not lifted and unless the Taliban fulfills its promises to reopen secondary schools and universities immediately, it must be concluded that they have no intention of doing so.

There are no longer safe spaces for girls to meet, learn and just be children. If the ban on education continues, life outcomes for girls in particular, but also for all children, will continue on a negative trajectory and recovery will take decades. We cannot let this happen.

Combined with the dire economic and human rights situation in the country, the consequences are enormous. Since the ban on education for girls was imposed, rates of child marriage and child labour have increased, as have reports of children being medicated to overcome hunger, and even dying from malnutrition.

Even if the ban is reversed, we are concerned about the quality of education that will be provided for girls as well as boys. Disturbing reports from boys secondary schools highlight the replacement of qualified professional teachers with religious teachers, with significant changes in school curricula, and a limited provision of school subjects.

We salute the brave women, children and men for continuing to protest the ban on women and girls access to education and echo their calls for the immediate reversal of the ban. We condemn in the strongest terms, the denial of education to women and girls, and accordingly call on the Taliban de facto authorities to:

We call on the international community to:

ENDS

*The experts: Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan; Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Fionnuala N Aolin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Dorothy Estrada Tanck (Chair), Ivana Radai (Vice-Chair), Elizabeth Broderick, Meskerem Geset Techane and Melissa Upreti, Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.

The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Proceduresof the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Councils independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

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Afghanistan: Quality education must be equally accessible to all, UN ... - OHCHR

United States Mission to the United NationsOffice of Press and Public DiplomacyFor Immediate ReleaseMarch 18, 2023

CSW Afghanistan Joint Statement

The following is a joint statement delivered by Albania on behalf of Afghanistan, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Ecuador, Egypt, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the State of Palestine, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor Leste, Tunisia, Trkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.

In recognition of the ideals and principles and the Commission on the Status of Women, and recalling the commitments made during International Womens Day on March 8th, we wish to express our strong concerns about the weakening of respect for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan who face extreme restrictions seen nowhere else in the world on the enjoyment of their rights, freedoms, and access to life-saving aid.

The Taliban continues to defy the will of the Afghan people, retracting their promises to the international community and implementing oppressive measures against women and girls.

We remain concerned that, despite international advocacy, the Taliban has not changed course after a full year of this repression if anything, theyve become more entrenched.

The Talibans decisions to ban women from universities, keep secondary schools closed to girls, and prevent Afghan women from working in NGOs, among other restrictions, are utterly indefensible. We note the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in its January 2023 meeting, emphasized the position of Islamic [law] on the need for womens education, work, and participation in public life.

The ban on girls and womens secondary and university education in Afghanistan deprives Afghan women and girls the enjoyment of the human right to education, increases risks of experiencing gender-based violence, including child, early, and forced marriage, and undermines Afghanistans stability, economic and social development, inclusive governance, and the realization and enjoyment of all human rights.

In addition, the order barring female employees of national and international NGOs from the workplace means that millions of Afghans will be unable to access life-saving humanitarian assistance and face even higher risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse.One-third of the humanitarian workforce in Afghanistan is female. They are now unable to work or reach women and other vulnerable people in need of basic support such as food, social services, and safe drinking water, with devastating consequences for their health and well-being.

These harmful edicts are causing irreparable damage to Afghanistans economy and society and the welfare of the people of Afghanistan.

We remain united in supporting the calls by the Afghan people for the full, equal, and meaningful participation of Afghan women, girls, and members of minority communities in Afghan society, and will continue to stand beside them.

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By United States Mission to the United Nations | 18 March, 2023 | Topics: Highlights, Remarks and Highlights

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CSW Afghanistan Joint Statement - United States Mission to the United Nations

In a mansion in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif that was recently profiled on YouTube, all the windows and doors are bulletproof a testament to the former residents security fears in a country where tens of thousands of people were killed each year in a war that took almost two decades to end.

In other videos, properties are shown having private jails, helipads, gardens with exotic plants, gyms, sauna and steam rooms, pools and other amenities that defy the description of Afghanistan as one of the worlds poorest countries, where most of the population cannot afford food.

Now vacant, these mini palaces belong to former warlords, government officials and lawmakers who fled the country before or immediately after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

Despite their long-standing animosity toward the owners of these mansions, de facto Taliban authorities have not confiscated them so far, calling them private properties. Most are even protected against ransack and plunder, practices often seen during the many regime changes Afghanistan has experienced over the past few decades.

While the former Afghan elites are scattered around the world, most of them have regularly spoken against the Taliban, and some have even sought foreign assistance to wage another war against the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The United States, which fought the Taliban for two decades, has said it does not support armed opposition against the Taliban, but has also repeatedly demanded the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Symbols of corruption

Videos of the mansions posted on YouTube and other social platforms receive large viewership and generate passionate comments about corruption and abuse in the upper ranks of the former Afghan government.

These places were built with corruption. These mansions were built by the money [stolen] from the poor, YouTube blogger Hamayon Afghan, who has produced videos from different parts of Afghanistan before and after the Talibans return to power, told VOA from Kabul.

For about 20 years, the United States and European donors invested heavily in building a democratic government, the rule of law and public accountability in Afghanistan, but the efforts largely failed because of endemic corruption.

Investigations by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) identified corruption at virtually every level of the Afghan state from salaries paid by international donors for Afghan soldiers and police who do not really exist to theft of U.S.-military-provided fuel on a massive scale.

Of the $146.68 billion the United States appropriated for the reconstruction of Afghanistan between 2002 and 2022, SIGAR reviewed the spending of $63 billion and discovered that a staggering $19 billion, 30%, was lost to waste, fraud and abuse, a spokesperson told VOA.

Other independent organizations have made similar assessments.

Corruption was central to the failure of the international effort to establish peace and security in Afghanistan, Ilham Mohamed, a regional adviser at corruption watchdog Transparency International, told VOA.

It undermined the legitimacy and capability of the Afghan government, hollowed out the Afghan military, and channeled resources to and strengthened popular support for the Taliban, Mohamed said.

Accountability

Speaking to a VOA television host, Atta Mohammad Noor, a former governor of Balkh province whose lavish lifestyle has been reported in the media, accused the Taliban of using several of his properties for various military and administrative purposes.

Only my residence has been vacated, Noor told the host via video link from the United Arab Emirates, adding that he would not return to Afghanistan to claim his properties.

The Taliban claim they have offered a blanket amnesty to all their former enemies, but the U.N. said some former Afghan military personnel have been killed, detained or tortured by Taliban gunmen over the past 18 months.

Taliban authorities have also indicated they would not prosecute former Afghan officials on charges of past corruption and abuse unless there are individual complainants seeking reparation and justice.

There is no anti-corruption entity in the Talibans interim administration, and it is unclear how the group investigates and handles corruption within its own ranks.

In the comments posted under the videos showing the houses of the former officials, many called for some sort of accountability.

Eight out of 10 Afghans we speak to demand accountability from previous officials and leaders, YouTuber Afghan said.

It is unclear if the former elites can sell their real estate in Afghanistan and take the funds abroad.

For some owners, potential risks from the Taliban outweigh the financial attraction of their properties.

I call on the Taliban to identify all my properties and either sell them or destroy them by bombs and mines. They do not have the value of the wing of a fly or a mosquito for me, Noor said.

When the VOA host asked him about his collection of expensive watches, Noor smiled and said, I have taken them with me.

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Videos of Empty Mansions in Afghanistan Prompt Calls for ... - Voice of America - VOA News

The World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for urgent funding for its operations in the country, where families are battling crisis after crisis, including growing hunger, since the Taliban takeover of 2021.

Catastrophic hunger could become widespread across Afghanistan, and unless humanitarian support is sustained, hundreds of thousands more people will need assistance to survive, the agency said in an alert.

Due to funding constraints, at least four million people will receive just half of what they need to get by in March. Ss food stocks have run out before the next harvest is due in May, this is traditionally the most difficult time of the year for rural families, WFP said.

The cuts come at a time when already vulnerable Afghans are just emerging from yet another freezing winter. Sub-zero temperatures combined with economic distress has pushed millions into despair, the agency added.

WFP urgently needs $ 93 million to assist 13 million people in April and $800 million for the next six months. Although donors gave record amounts in 2022, since November last year WFP had been warning that funds would run out just as the lean season is reaching its peak in March and April.

The country is at the highest risk of famine in a quarter of a century, with half of all families living in crisis-coping mode to survive. For millions in Afghanistan, WFPs food assistance is now the last lifeline.

Since August 2022, nine out of 10 Afghan families cannot afford enough food the highest in the world. Nearly 20 million Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from, and six million of them are one step away from famine.

Levels of moderate acute malnutrition are the highest ever recorded in the country. Two thirds of the population more than 28 million people need humanitarian assistance in 2023, almost triple than in 2021.

In response, WFP massively scaled up its assistance across Afghanistan in 2022, thanks to generous funding. The agency supported 23 million people, distributing more than 1 million metric tons of food and $326 million in cash or vouchers to help families survive.

Afghanistan: WFP facts & figures

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Funding drought forces UN food agency to cut rations in Afghanistan - UN News

The government of Japan is working with UNOPS to deliver ambulances and life-saving medical supplies to the people of Afghanistan.

Decades of conflict, natural disasters, and economic shocks in Afghanistan have critically affected peoples ability to access quality health services. People living in low-income households are particularly hard hit when it comes to access to medications already in scarce supply and double the price compared to 2022. Further, the number of available ambulances is insufficient to cover the urgent needs of people living in remote areas, increasing their vulnerabilities.

Through a $1.9 million project funded by the government of Japan, UNOPS will procure ambulances, medicine, and medical supplies and deliver them to hospitals across the country.

"Japan is pleased to launch a new project with UNOPS to address challenges faced by women and other populations suffering in the country. The project shows Japan's commitment to ensuring human security and the protection of women and other vulnerable populations in Afghanistan."

Mr. Takashi Okada - Ambassador of Japan to Afghanistan

The project is set to improve access to emergency care services for some 34,000 people. The project will cover activities for a year.

"Given the critical need for life-saving medical supplies in the country we're happy to work together with the government of Japan, our long-standing partner, to serve the people of Afghanistan," said Nicholas George, Country Director of UNOPS in Afghanistan.

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Emergency healthcare assistance for the people of Afghanistan ... - ReliefWeb