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STORY: UN / AFGHANISTAN
TRT: 05:20
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 10 MARCH 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, UN Headquarters
10 MARCH 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Wide shot, Med shot, Afghan representative Naseer Ahmed Faiq
4. Wide shot, Special Representative for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva speaking
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA):
“It is the responsibility of the de facto authorities to indicate whether they want Afghanistan to be reinstated into the international system and, if so, whether they are willing to take the necessary steps. The de facto authorities have so far treated the Afghan State’s international obligations selectively, rejecting some on the basis they allegedly impinge on the country's sovereignty or violate their traditions.”
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA):
“Afghans increasingly resent the intrusions on the on their private lives by the de facto authorities. They fear Afghanistan's further isolation from the rest of the world. After three-and-a-half years under Taliban rule, they have indeed welcomed an absence of conflict and greater stability and freedom of movement, at least for the male population. But this is not a peace in which they can leave in dignity with their human rights respected and with confidence in a stable future.”
7. Wide shot, Otunbayeva speaking
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA):
“The defunding of assistance is already having and will continue to have significant impact on the Afghan people. In the past month, more than 200 health facilities have closed, impacting some 1.8 million people. Essential malnutrition services for children have been limited and implementing partners have significantly reduced their footprint and coordination capacity.”
9. Wide shot, Otunbayeva speaking
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA):
“Unfortunately, on 2nd December last year, the de facto Minister of Public Health ordered medical institutes to be closed for women, shutting down one of the last avenues for women to attain professional education. This new restriction deepens a long term gap in the country's capacity to protect the health of women and girls, and indeed, all Afghans.”
11. Wide shot, Afghan lawyer Azadah Raz Mohammad addressing Council
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Azadah Raz Mohammad, Co-Founder, Ham Diley Campaign:
“In 2021, the Taliban try to sell themselves to international community as a reform group promising to respect human rights, including women's rights, a lie that the international community was too quick to believe. Afghan women warned then that given the chance, the Taliban will destroy every gain that we had fought for since the brutal rule in 1990s. Over the last three-and-a-half-years, our fears have become reality.”
13. Wide shot, Mohammad addressing Council
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Azadah Raz Mohammad, Co-Founder, Ham Diley Campaign:
“I extend my gratitude to the growing list of Member States calling for gender apartheid to
be recognized as an international crime, including through the new UN treaty on crimes against
humanity. No term better describes the crimes the Taliban are committing against Afghan women
and girls, and we will never forget the States standing with us in this effort.”
15. Wide shot, Faiq addressing Council
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Naseer Ahmed Faiq, Minister Counsellor, Afghanistan:
“Afghanistan today is one of the most repressive places on earth for women and girls. The Taliban's continued systematic erasure of women from public life is not just a violation of fundamental rights, it is a crime against humanity. After years of demand by ordinary citizens and international friends of Afghanistan for an end to the Taliban's repressive policies, women are still banned from education, including medical training, exacerbating an already fragile health care system.”
17. Wide shot, end of briefing
18. Wide shot, ambassadors at the stakeout podium
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Christina Markus Lassen, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Denmark:
“Security Council signatories of the Statement of Shared Commitments of Women Peace and Security, reiterate our strong condemnation of the Taliban's continued and systematic gender discrimination and increased gender-based violence, which may amount to gender persecution.”
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Christina Markus Lassen, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Denmark:
“We condemn in the strongest terms these policies, and we call on the Taliban to immediately cease and reverse the ongoing systematic violations of human rights, particularly discriminatory policies and practices that violate human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women and girls. We further reject any attempts to silence or threaten Afghan civil society representatives and women human rights defenders. The Taliban must respect Afghanistan's international obligations and commitments, including the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.”
21. Zoom out, ambassadors walk away
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva today (10 Mar) told the Security Council that the Afghan de facto authorities must “indicate whether they want Afghanistan to be reinstated into the international system and, if so, whether they are willing to take the necessary steps.”
She said the de facto authorities have “so far treated the Afghan State’s international obligations selectively, rejecting some on the basis they allegedly impinge on the country's sovereignty or violate their traditions.”
Otunbayeva, who is also the Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said, “Afghans increasingly resent the intrusions on the on their private lives by the de facto authorities. They fear Afghanistan's further isolation from the rest of the world. After three-and-a-half years under Taliban rule, they have indeed welcomed an absence of conflict and greater stability and freedom of movement, at least for the male population. But this is not a peace in which they can leave in dignity with their human rights respected and with confidence in a stable future.”
The Special Representative said, “defunding of assistance is already having and will continue to have significant impact on the Afghan people. In the past month, more than 200 health facilities have closed, impacting some 1.8 million people. Essential malnutrition services for children have been limited and implementing partners have significantly reduced their footprint and coordination capacity.”
Otunbayeva told the Council that “unfortunately, on 2nd December last year, the de facto Minister of Public Health ordered medical institutes to be closed for women, shutting down one of the last avenues for women to attain professional education.”
She said this new restriction “deepens a long term gap in the country's capacity to protect the health of women and girls, and indeed, all Afghans.”
Also briefing the Council, Afghan lawyer Azadah Raz Mohammad said, “in 2021, the Taliban try to sell themselves to international community as a reform group promising to respect human rights, including women's rights, a lie that the international community was too quick to believe. Afghan women warned then that given the chance, the Taliban will destroy every gain that we had fought for since the brutal rule in 1990s. Over the last three-and-a-half years, our fears have become reality.”
Mohammad thanked “the growing list of Member States calling for gender apartheid to be recognized as an international crime, including through the new UN treaty on crimes against humanity.”
She said, “no term better describes the crimes the Taliban are committing against Afghan women and girls, and we will never forget the States standing with us in this effort.”
Minister Counsellor Naseer Ahmed Faiq, who does not speak on behalf of the de facto government, said, “Afghanistan today is one of the most repressive places on earth for women and girls. The Taliban's continued systematic erasure of women from public life is not just a violation of fundamental rights, it is a crime against humanity. After years of demand by ordinary citizens and international friends of Afghanistan for an end to the Taliban's repressive policies, women are still banned from education, including medical training, exacerbating an already fragile health care system.”
Before, the Council briefing, Danish Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen read a statement on behalf of France,
Greece, Guyana, Panama, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and the United Kingdom, signatories of the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace and Security.
The signatories Lassen said, “reiterate our strong condemnation of the Taliban's continued and systematic gender discrimination and increased gender based violence, which may amount to gender persecution.”
They condemned “in the strongest terms” the Taliban’s policies and called on them “to immediately cease and reverse the ongoing systematic violations of human rights, particularly discrimination, discriminatory policies and practices that violate human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women and girls.”
They further rejected “any attempts to silence or threaten Afghan civil society representatives and women human rights defenders.”
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