The situation in Afghanistan - Security Council, 9810th meeting

Afghanistan’s De Facto Authorities’ New Law Barring Women from Medical Training Imperils Entire Country’s Health, Stability, Briefers Tell Security Council

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 02:34:52
• Production Date: 12 December 2024
• Asset Language: Arabic; English; French; Russian; Spanish; Chinese; Original
• Personal Subject: ROZA OTUNBAYEVA; LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD
• Corporate Name: SECURITY COUNCIL
• Subject Topical: EDUCATION; STATUS OF WOMEN; WOMEN'S RIGHTS; LAW; HEALTH POLICY; HEALTH EDUCATION; VOCATIONAL EDUCATION; SOCIAL POLICY; POLITICAL REPRESSION; WOMEN'S HEALTH; FAMILY PLANNING EDUCATION; LEGITIMACY OF GOVERNMENTS
• Geographic Subject: AFGHANISTAN
• MAMS Id: 3324663
• Parent Id: 3322054

Description

Meeting on the heels of the Taliban’s new directive prohibiting women and girls from attending public and private medical institutes in Afghanistan, the Security Council examined the impacts of the de facto authorities’ increasingly repressive policies, amounting to “gender apartheid”, as speakers urged the Taliban to reverse course. 

Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said she has “strongly urged the de facto authorities to reconsider” the latest restriction, which would have deadly implications for women and girls. The measure is part of the authorities’ pursuit of a vision of an Islamic system and Afghan culture, characterized by a “progressive erasure from almost all walks of life”, she observed, adding that the implementation of the “Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law” has led to people choosing to self-regulate rather than risk punishment. The law also imposed other repressive measures, including a greater enforcement of requirements regarding men’s beards and Western-style haircuts that has led to the closures of barbershops. 

Briefer: Ms. Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (via video-teleconference) 

Briefer: Mr. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator 

Briefer: His Excellency Andrés Efrén Montalvo Sosa, Permanent Representative of Ecuador in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) 

Briefer: Ms. Roya Mahboob, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Digital Citizen Fund 

Statements: All Council members, with Guyana speaking on behalf of: Algeria, Guyana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone 

Statements: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Islamic Republic of Iran, India, Pakistan

Related Sites and Documents

UN Press Coverage

S/PV.9810