UNSC special session on Afghanistan today

KABUL (Pajhwok): The UN Security Council (UNSC) is set to hold a special meeting on the situation in Afghanistan today, says the world body.

UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) head Roza Otunbayeva is expected to brief the session on the secretary-general’s most recent report on the mission.

In a statement, the UN said the council would also be briefed by UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous. A woman civil society representative will speak about women’s rights in the country and accountability.

Other officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, as well as council member Albania, have also used the term “gender apartheid” in referring to the situation in Afghanistan.

Council members that have signed on to the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)—Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UK, and the US—are expected to read a joint statement on Afghanistan ahead of the meeting.

A major focus of the meeting is expected to be the restrictions on the rights of women and girls in the country.

The briefers and several council members are likely to cite examples of steps taken by the caretaker government in recent months that have further limited women’s freedom of movement, access to education, and participation in employment.

Earlier, Roza Otunbayeva shared information about this meeting of the UNSC with acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

sa/mud