AFGHANISTAN / PILLAY

Wrapping up her first visit to Afghanistan, UN high commissioner for human right’s Navi Pillay said there have been some “distinct” human rights achievements during the past 12 years, “but they are fragile, and many Afghans are expressing fears that the overall human rights situation is deteriorating on several fronts.” UNAMA

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:13
• Production Date: 17 September 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR
• Subject Topical: WOMEN'S RIGHTS; HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: AFGHANISTAN
• MAMS Id: U130917g

Description

STORY: AFGHANISTAN / PILLAY
TRT: 2.13
SOURCE: UNAMA / RTA (Radio Television Afghanistan)
RESTRICTIONS: RTA (Radio Television Afghanistan)NO ACCESS APTN LIBRARY
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 17 SEPTEMBER 2013, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

1. Wide shot, Pillay arriving to presser
2. Cutaway, journalists
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR:
“Afghanistan is clearly at a critical juncture with the ongoing political, security and economic transition concluding in 2014 – all of which will have an impact on the human rights of its citizens.”
4. Cutaway, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR:
“There have been some distinct human rights achievements during the past 12 years, but they are fragile, and many Afghans are expressing fears that the overall human rights situation is deteriorating on several fronts.”
6. Cutaway, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR:
“Violence against women remains endemic, and I have urged the relevant authorities to do their utmost to speed up and improve the implementation of this important law, which President Karzai passed by decree in 2009.”
8. Cutaway, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR:
“I am encouraged by the ready acknowledgement by top Government officials that much more needs to be done, especially in rural areas, and their commitment to pursuing further improvement, I also note the widespread concern among civil society groups that the momentum on advancing women’s rights has halted, and indeed may even be regressing.”
10. Cutaway, journalists
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR:
“My concern that the momentum of improvement in human rights may have not only peaked, but is in reality waning, has not been allayed.”
12. Cutaway, journalists
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights OHCHR:
“Afghanistan needs to brace itself to ensure that the tumultuous changes that will take place before the end of 2014 do not trigger a serious deterioration in the human rights of any segments of the population, especially women.”

16 SEPTEMBER 2013, UNAMA, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

14. Various shots, Navi Pillay at a meeting with women civil society groups

16 SEPTEMBER 2013, RTA, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

15. Various shots, Navi Pillay meeting with President Hamid Karzai

Storyline

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that with the ongoing political, security and economic 2014 transition, Afghanistan was “clearly at a critical juncture."

Talking to journalists in Kabul, Afghanistan during her first official visit to the country, Pillay said that there had been some human rights achievements during the past 12 years in the country, but “they are fragile", and many Afghans are "expressing fears that the overall human rights situation is deteriorating on several fronts.”

While noting that the landmark law on the elimination of violence against women passed by decree in 2009 by President Karzai was a very significant achievement, Pillay stressed that violence against women remained “endemic”. She said that she had urged the relevant authorities “to do their utmost to speed up and improve the implementation of this important law.”

Expressing her encouragement over the acknowledgement of top Government officials that much more needed to be done, Pillay noted the widespread concern among civil society groups that “the momentum on advancing women’s rights has halted, and indeed may even be regressing.”

Summing up her visit she said that her concern that the momentum of improvement in human rights “may have not only peaked, but is in reality waning, has not been allayed.”

She also warned that Afghanistan needed to brace itself and ensure that the upcoming “tumultuous changes” about to take place before the end of 2014 “do not trigger a serious deterioration in the human rights of any segments of the population, especially women.”