KABUL (Ariana News): The issue of women’s rights in Afghanistan is a test for global community, Alison Davidian, Special Representative for UN Women in Afghanistan, said on Friday on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
“The space for Afghan women and girls continues to shrink at an alarming pace, and with it Afghanistan’s future prospects to escape a vicious cycle of war, poverty, and isolation,” Davidian said in a statement released by UNAMA.
“The situation of Afghan women and girls must be kept at the center of international concerns and action. The fight for women’s rights in Afghanistan is a global fight and a battle for women’s rights everywhere. What we do – or fail to do – for Afghan women and girls is the ultimate test of who weare as a global community and what we stand for,” she added. UNAMA called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to end restrictions on women and girls or else risk further pushing the country into deeper poverty and isolation.
“As we mark this year’s International Women’s Day, the global theme of ‘invest in women’ should be a moment when we redouble our efforts to unlock even greater progress,” said Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). “It is heartbreaking that we are seeing precisely the opposite unfolding in Afghanistan: a catastrophic and deliberate disinvestment that is causing immense harm to women and girls, creating only barriers to sustainable peace and prosperity,” Otunbayeva said. Former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of reconciliation council, in statements posted on X expressed hope that women’s rights are ensured in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, US Embassy for Afghanistan said on X: “On International Women’s Day, we stand in solidarity with Afghan women and girls and their right to quality education, economic employment and other fundamental human freedoms.” This comes as IEA has repeatedly said that it is committed to ensuring women’s rights in Afghanistan according to Sharia.
