Civil society groups have welcomed the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, for an additional year. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur remains crucial for ongoing monitoring and documentation of the situation in the country.
One year after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the UN independent experts have affirmed the calls of Afghan civil society that “it is time to rapidly step up efforts to ensure accountability for violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law. Impunity will only lead to further violations and deterioration of the human rights situation in the country.”
Eleven States vying for seats at the UN Human Rights Council for 2023-2025 joined ISHR and Amnesty International’s annual pledging event, outlining their commitments to advancing the human rights agenda and fielding questions from civil society.
International community urged by Afghan women to “move from beautiful words and statements, to practice” as the Human Rights Council adopts resolution on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Women and girls in Afghanistan are facing a human rights crisis, deprived of the fundamental rights to non-discrimination, education, work, public participation and health. The Taliban has also imposed draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement for women and girls. The world's worst women's rights crisis demands an urgent and proportionate response from the UN Human Rights Council, says a coalition of 25 leading NGOs from all world regions.
In two statements, ISHR and Amnesty International have called on the President of the Human Rights Council to urge 71 States to respond to communications by UN experts regarding alleged human rights violations, and have raised the alarm regarding personal attacks on such experts.
This morning the UN General Assembly will hold elections for 15 seats on the Human Rights Council for the term starting 1 January 2018. We urge States to act with integrity when placing their vote.
This week, in sister events in New York and Geneva, 15 candidate States presented their vision for Human Rights Council membership for the period 2018 – 2020. They also responded to questions on how they would realise their pledges and commitments.
Natasha Latiff is the founder and executive director of Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights (SAHR). Following an ISHR training for human rights defenders held in Geneva in June, she spoke to ISHR about her organisation's work on women's rights in Afghanistan.
