UN Calls on Taliban to Lift Ban on Girls’ Education

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reiterated its call for the Taliban to allow Afghan girls to attend school, as millions remain deprived of their fundamental right to education for the third consecutive year.

In a statement on January 24, marking the International Day of Education, Roza Otunbayeva, head of UNAMA, expressed deep concern over the situation, stressing that Afghanistan is the only country where women and girls are barred from receiving education.

“It is a travesty and tragedy that millions of Afghan girls have been stripped of their right to education. No country has ever thrived by disempowering and leaving behind half its population,” Otunbayeva said. She emphasized that the Taliban must end this ban immediately and permit all Afghan girls to return to school.

The International Day of Education, observed annually on January 24, highlights the vital importance of education in promoting peace, development, and equality. This year’s theme, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation,” serves as an urgent reminder to uphold the right to education for all, regardless of gender, race, or location.

Meanwhile, on the occasion, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, described the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education as a serious human rights violation.

“On International Day of Education, we must not forget the millions of Afghan girls and women denied education. Afghanistan is the only country barring girls from school,” Bennett wrote on X. “This must end,” he emphasized.

Marking the day, the European Union (EU) also expressed solidarity with Afghan girls, emphasizing that they are being denied their fundamental rights to education and a prosperous future.

In a post on X, the EU delegation in Afghanistan stressed that quality education for all, regardless of gender, is essential for Afghanistan’s prosperity and self-sufficiency.

Shortly after regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban banned girls from attending secondary schools, and later, the ban was extended to higher education, including in the health sector.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported last year that the Taliban’s restrictions have affected over 1.4 million girls. “If we add the girls who were already out of school before the bans were introduced, there are now almost 2.5 million girls in the country deprived of their right to education, representing 80% of Afghan school-age girls,” UNICEF noted.

Despite significant lobbying efforts by the UN, human rights organizations, and the international community, including the majority of Islamic countries, the Taliban have not relented in their stance.

The UN and its partners continue to advocate for the restoration of education rights for Afghan girls, stressing its importance for the countries’ progress and stability.