Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy on X

Italy’s New Ambassador to Afghanistan Assumes Role with Focus on Women’s Rights

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Italian government has appointed female diplomat Sabrina Ugolini as its new ambassador to Afghanistan, emphasizing her dedication to human rights and the conditions of women and girls in the country.

In a statement on Saturday, October 26, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that she will temporarily carry out her duties from Doha, Qatar’s capital, where the Italian diplomatic mission was relocated following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) following the announcement, Ms. Ugolini stated that her focus will be on human rights, particularly the situation of women and girls, as well as the humanitarian conditions in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

“I assume with responsibility and pride the position of ambassador of Italy to Afghanistan, working in the Doha process,” she said. “Human rights and the conditions of women and girls will be at the core of my mandate, in the tradition of Italy’s humanitarian commitment to the Afghan people.”

Following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan three years ago, Italy, like other Western nations, closed its embassy in Kabul and shifted its diplomatic operations to Doha. Like the majority of the international community, Italy has not yet handed over the Afghanistan embassy in the country to the Taliban.

Although no country has officially recognized the Taliban regime in Afghanistan as the legitimate government, several nations in the region have maintained relations, kept their embassies open in Kabul, and some have handed over Afghan embassies on their soil to Taliban diplomats.

The Italian envoy’s pledge to focus on the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan comes as the Taliban has severely restricted their fundamental rights, including access to education, employment, and social mobility.

Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, is the only country in the world where women and girls are prohibited from attending schools, universities, and workplaces, with numerous additional restrictions effectively excluding them from public life.

UN experts, legal scholars, and activists agree that the Taliban’s policies and practices amount to a system of apartheid intentionally designed to subjugate them based on gender.

Despite repeated calls from the UN, rights groups, aid providers, and Islamic countries over the past three years, the Taliban has refused to lift the ban, arguing that it is an internal matter and others should not interfere.