UN Security Council to Spotlight Afghan Women in Upcoming Meeting
The United Nations Security Council will convene a high-profile meeting on Afghanistan on September 17, with a focus on Afghan women and their pivotal role in the country’s future. South Korea, which holds the council presidency this month, announced the session and emphasized sustained international solidarity with Afghan women, reported by TOLOnews.
Sangjin Kim, South Korea’s representative to the UN, said the meeting will include a joint media briefing and a presentation by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). “We will reaffirm our unwavering support for Afghan women and underscore their crucial contribution to Afghanistan’s development,” Kim said.
Roza Otunbayeva, head of UNAMA, is slated to deliver her quarterly report on the country, providing an assessment of Afghanistan’s political, social, and humanitarian situation. The session will also feature contributions from Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and a civil society representative, highlighting perspectives from Afghan communities.
The meeting comes amid concerns that Afghan women and girls continue to face systemic obstacles to education, employment, and public life under the current regime. Women’s rights activist Lima Shirzai expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of Security Council discussions without enforceable mechanisms. “There has been no effective system to ensure the participation of all sides based on the realities of Afghan society,” she said. “Without a proper mechanism, these meetings risk being symbolic rather than substantive.”
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not commented on the upcoming session or UNAMA’s report. In prior remarks, a spokesman for the Taliban criticized UNAMA, claiming the mission exaggerated negative issues and overlooked any positive developments in Afghanistan.
Beyond Afghanistan, the Security Council will address a host of other pressing matters this month, including conflicts in Yemen, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Israel, as well as nonproliferation concerns regarding Syria’s chemical weapons program.
The September 17 meeting is expected to highlight the international community’s enduring commitment to Afghan women’s rights, while underscoring the challenges of securing tangible progress in a nation navigating ongoing political, social, and humanitarian turbulence.
