Joint Press Stakeout on Shared Commitments for the Principles of Women, Peace and Security (WPS)

Joint Press Stakeout on Shared Commitments for the Principles of Women, Peace and Security (WPS)

Briefing and consultations on UNAMA

December 20th

1. We, the Security Council signatories of Shared Commitments for the principles of Women, Peace, and Security—Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the incoming Members of the Security Council, Guyana, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia—take the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to advance the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda as a condition for achieving peace, prosperity and security for the people of Afghanistan.

1. We demand that the Taliban end their systemic gender discrimination by eliminating the severe restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls and, allowing them full access to education, employment, and the full exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in public, political, economic, and social life. The devastating effects of these edicts keep accumulating over time, impeding Afghanistan´s security, political and economic stability.

3. The fundamental principles of gender equality, non-discrimination and inclusion are essential pre-requisites for restoring peace, civic space and the rule of law, and promoting development in Afghanistan.

4. We demand that the Taliban respect the obligations contracted by the State of Afghanistan as a party to key international conventions and human rights treaties, particularly the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which the country ratified in 2003, and the Convention on the Political Rights of Women, to which it acceded in 1966, as well as the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

5. We reaffirm the importance of UNAMA´s work and its mandate as outlined in resolutions 2678 (2023), 2626 (2022) and prior resolutions. We also commend the extraordinary efforts deployed by United Nations agencies to support Afghan women and girls despite the considerable limitations that they face.

6. We, the signatories of the WPS Shared Commitments are fully committed to supporting the initiatives of the Security Council to reverse and overcome the segregation of women in Afghanistan, including through the proposed intra-Afghan dialogues. These must ensure the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of Afghan women in all fora and mechanisms seeking to advance international engagement on Afghanistan in line with the expectations set out by the Security Council in its previous resolutions.

Thanks.