The Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has stated that the unacceptable situation of Afghan women and girls must not be forgotten.
Rosa Otunbayeva, speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, said that the ban on girls continuing their education beyond the sixth grade is isolating Afghanistan from the rest of the world.
During her address, she once again urged the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to lift the restrictions imposed on women and girls and to restore their right to education.
Otunbayeva also highlighted the tightening restrictions on the country’s media, saying, “Freedom of expression and the environment for private media have become increasingly restricted.”
Addressing the security situation, the UN representative said the overall number of security incidents in Afghanistan remains low. However, she added that neighboring countries continue to express concern about the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan.
She told the Security Council: “Overall, the number of security incidents has remained low; however, neighboring countries still express concern about the presence of ISIS-Khorasan and other groups.”
Otunbayeva also reported to the UN Security Council that over 600,000 people have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan so far.
She said: “Already, more than 600,000 Afghans have returned from neighbouring Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran this year. Given the concerning developments in the Region, the UN agencies are preparing for potential cross-border movement from Iran. Returns from Iran alone in the past few days have been over 10,000 per day. Communities and the de facto authorities have made huge efforts to absorb returnees, but without international assistance, there are limits to safe, orderly and peaceful returns.”