UN calls on Taliban to “open schools and universities to girls”

A weekly press conference was held under the moderation of Rolando Gómez, Head of the Department of Press and Foreign Relations of the Information Unit of the UN Office in Geneva.

Marta Hurtado, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said in her speech here: “Denying girls secondary education and access to university is clearly discriminatory.” she used the phrase.

Noting that this situation worries girls and women and their families, Hurtado emphasized that it deeply harms the country as a whole.

“This week, the girls in Afghanistan should have started a new year in high school with hope and enthusiasm,” Hurtado said. She noted that last year girls in Afghanistan were not allowed to attend grades 6 and 12.

Hurtado, who urged the Taliban interim government to open schools at all levels, as well as universities, stressed that girls and women are exposed to violence, exploitation and poverty when their right to education is denied.

Recalling the Taliban’s commitment to grant all women and girls the right to education, Hurtado said: “The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights demands that they honor this promise without delay.” saying.

With the arrival of the Taliban in the administration of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, serious restrictions were placed on women’s work and girls’ education.

The girls were prevented from receiving an education in middle and high schools, and in December 2022, in universities. Also in December, Afghan women were suspended from working for local and foreign non-governmental organizations.

THE WORK OF FAO IN TURKEY

Turkey’s representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Viorel Gutu, attended the meeting from Ankara via video conference.

Gutu said that after the earthquakes in Turkey last month, FAO is on the ground in the provinces affected by the earthquake and is working with local authorities and partners.

Emphasizing that according to the first FAO impact assessment report, earthquakes cause unimaginable destruction, Gutu noted that 14.6 million people in 11 provinces were affected by the earthquakes.

Noting that there are more than US$6.7 billion in loss and damage to crop and livestock production, food stocks, farm infrastructure and assets, Gutu said these 11 provinces account for 20 percent of Turkey’s agricultural output. and 15 percent of its agricultural gross domestic product. He stressed that by making 18.7 percent of agricultural and forestry exports, he made a significant contribution to domestic consumption and exports.

Gutu said that to overcome these challenges, FAO has developed a framework that will prioritize needs and provide immediate support in the two districts of Hatay, Adıyaman, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya and Gaziantep, which were the most affected by the earthquakes.

“In the short term, FAO used internal emergency resources to provide immediate support to selected areas,” Gutu said. In the medium and long term, FAO will proactively shift its focus towards the protection, restoration and enhancement of agri-food systems and rural livelihoods. To achieve this, FAO will foster innovative approaches and invest in technology and climate-friendly agriculture.” he said. (AA)