UN Human Rights Council – 52nd session
Item 2: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan
6 March 2023
Mister President, Mister Special Rapporteur,
FIDH and its member organization Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report, which illustrates the extent to which the Taliban is escalating its systematic violation of fundamental human rights throughout the country.
Since the Council last examined the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban has increased its clampdown on civil society and intensified the assault on the rights of women and girls. Women’s participation in public affairs is non-existent and the violations of their economic and social rights have dramatically worsened. The recent barring of women from working for NGOs is a reprehensible escalation of the Taliban’s efforts to erase women from all spheres of public life. The international community must press the Taliban to end its appalling treatment of women, which amounts to gender persecution.
Instead of upholding the rule of law, respecting human rights, and charting a roadmap for the reinstatement of democratic institutions and a constitutional order, the Taliban has continued to impose its authoritarian rule, with no intention of complying with Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations.
We reiterate our calls on the Council to set up a robust mechanism to complement the Special Rapporteur’s work, with a view to promote accountability for human rights violations committed by all parties. We further call on the office of the Special Rapporteur and all UN bodies to take proactive steps to cooperate with existing accountability mechanisms, including the work of the International Criminal Court.
Thank you.