The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), on the occasion of International Women’s Day, reiterated its commitment to empowering Afghan girls for a better future.
UNICEF announced that it has so far supported the education of over 360,000 girls through 18,000 learning classes.
Kate Pond, communications manager at UNICEF Afghanistan, stated: “UNICEF is committed to empowering girls to shape their future goals everywhere in the world, including in Afghanistan. In 2024, UNICEF supported 361,000 girls to access education through 18,000 community-base education classes.”
Meanwhile, the UN Women executive director Sima Bahous stressed the role of women in decision-making, highlighting that women from many countries, including Afghanistan, bear the heaviest burdens of displacement and conflicts.
Sima Bahous stressed that women must be at the heart of decision-making to find effective solutions.
Additionally, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, the European Union, and Yasmine Sherif, executive director of the UN initiative “Education Cannot Wait”, have all stressed the importance of securing the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Sima Bahous further stated: “Real solutions require that women be at the heart of decision-making. From Afghanistan to the DRC, from Palestine, Gaza to Haiti to Myanmar, Sudan and beyond, women bear the heaviest burdens of conflict, displacement, hardship, and loss.”
Yasmine Sherif also remarked: “On International Women’s Day, we are joining nations around the world to call for the end of the cruel & destructive ban on girls’ secondary education. It is time to rebuild Afghanistan based on the vast potential of her most precious natural resource: the resilient & strong Afghan girls & boys.”
“Education is a fundamental right of every human being, whether male or female, in any society. They must have access to education, learning, and work. In Afghanistan, where people struggle with poverty and hardship, this is an absolute necessity,” said Enshirah, a school teacher.
Previously, the Islamic Emirate had reiterated its stance on women’s rights within the framework of Islamic rulings, stating that women’s rights in an Islamic society differ from those in Western countries and that these differences should not be ignored.