KT - The United Nations and the European Union have signed a new agreement aimed at expanding support for women and girls in Afghanistan, who continue to face sweeping restrictions under Taliban rule.
Sima Bahous, U.N. undersecretary-general and executive director of U.N. Women announced Thursday that the agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 80th U.N. General Assembly in New York.
The signing ceremony was attended by EU representative Jozef Sikela. “This agreement is designed to scale up assistance to Afghan women and girls,” Bahous said in a post on X, stressing that they are facing “the most severe restrictions and rollbacks” in their rights.
She praised the EU as one of the U.N.’s “most vital partners” in advancing gender equality worldwide.
Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping bans on Afghan women and girls, including barring girls above sixth grade from school, prohibiting most forms of employment for women, and restricting their participation in social, cultural and sporting life.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the measures, describing them as a blatant violation of women’s rights.
