UNSC calls for opening of girls schools in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Representatives of 10 member states of the UN Security Council issued a joint statement, calling on the Afghan government to reopen schools for all girls.

The statement was jointly delivered by the Permanent Representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Norway, on behalf of Albania, Brazil, France, Gabon, Ireland, Mexico, UK, US, Norway and UAE.

The statement was delivered on Friday during a special Security Council meeting on the delay of reopening of highschools for girls in Afghanistan.

“Our message is clear: All girls in Afghanistan should be able to go to school,” the statement said. “This week – more than a million Afghan girls were getting ready to finally be able to return to school. Their hopes were dashed at the last minute, when they learned that their right to an education will continue to be denied,” the source added.

The decision is a reversal of the commitments the Taliban themselves have made in recent weeks and months as part of the ongoing engagement with the international community, the statement said.

The source said that education is a universal right for all children including girls.

In order for Afghanistan to secure a safe and stable future, it simply cannot miss out on the talent and potential, and deprive half its population of education. Education is a key building block of every society, the statement read.

The UNSC members called on the government to open schools for all students and provide a safe learning environment for all children and youth.

mds/ma