Delivered at the UNGA78 Third Committee Agenda Item: Advancement of women

Thank you Mr Chair. I deliver this statement on behalf of Australia, Chile, Japan, Spain, 74 member and observer states of the United Nations, the EU, and my own country the United Arab Emirates.

Human rights are the foundation of freedom, justice and peace globally, and inextricably linked to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set in the Agenda 2030. The fundamental right to equality and non-discrimination and commitment to 'leave no one behind' lies at the heart of the Agenda 2030, and are firmly anchored in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, seventy-five years after its adoption, women and girls' human rights in Afghanistan are being abused, and they are being left behind.

We are extremely alarmed by the Taliban's edicts, which involve the most acute and systematic form of discrimination, oppression and violence of women and girls in the world. Women and girls have been denied their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including their access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and their full, equal and meaningful participation in public life. Women are being stripped of their livelihoods and girls of their futures.

We are concerned by reports that the drastic restrictions on the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and its impact on their lives may amount to gender persecution.

Women and girls must have the freedom and space to exercise their voice, agency and leadership. Their voices must and will be heard.

We urge the Taliban to immediately reverse the policies and practices, decrees and other pronouncements that abuse the human rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, which are incompatible with the principles of proportionality and non-discrimination. These arbitrary decisions and edicts heighten the risks of gender-based violence and further compounds the ongoing economic crisis and an already strained health system, denying women's and girls' access to critical and routine health services such as maternal and peri-natal health services.

We call on the Taliban to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of women and girls, including those enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the State of Afghanistan is a party.

The ongoing systemic restrictions shrinking women's access to public places in Afghanistan is appalling. Women and girls can no longer visit parks, gyms and public baths, and are experiencing serious negative physical and mental health impacts.

We reaffirm our commitment to protect human rights and the principle of freedom of religion or belief. However, freedom of religion or belief should never be misused to discriminate against women and girls. The Taliban's edicts against women and girls' rights contradict Islamic values and universal human rights.

We call on the de facto authorities to allow women and girls to exercise their rights and contribute to the social and economic development of Afghan society, in accordance with international human rights laws and the teachings of Islam that empower women, safeguard their rights, and affirm their dignity.

We are alarmed at the restrictions on women's participation in the workforce. Women-led organisations have been targeted and women have been prohibited from working for non-governmental organizations and the UN, hindering the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance. We recall UN Security Council resolution 2681 [2023] that condemned the Taliban's decision to ban Afghan women from working for the UN as undermining human rights and humanitarian principles. We call on the Taliban to provide safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.

We deplore the denial of girls and women's education in Afghanistan beyond the primary level, as it deepens entrenched gender inequalities.

We call on the Taliban to restore the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of all women and girls in Afghanistan's public and political life, and to restore their civic space.

We call on the Taliban to facilitate an inclusive and representative political process that enables all Afghans, in particular women and girls, to participate in Afghanistan's economy, peace, prosperity, and future. We reiterate our call to reverse these edicts and underline the importance of justice and accountability for these human rights abuses, with a trauma-informed, victim and survivor-centered approach.

We firmly stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan. We will remain united until the human rights and dignity of all Afghan women and girls have been restored.

I thank you.

Co-sponsors: 80*

Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cabo Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Island, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, State of Palestine, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Yemen, EU

*Indonesia and Micronesia associated from the floor