Thank you Mr President,
This initiative comes at a crucial moment for women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan.
And it sends an unequivocal message from this Council to all Afghan women and girls: we stand with you.
As so poignantly put by Ms Fawzia Koofi during the Urgent Debate here - women in Afghanistan are having to advocate for their basic rights not to be invisible, and not to be erased from public life.
We stand firmly behind the core message of the draft before us: an immediate end to all human rights violations and abuses against all individuals and the reversal of the policies and practices restricting the human rights of Afghan women and girls.
This must include empowering women and girls to participate fully, equally and meaningfully in all spheres of public life. It must include ending all forms of discrimination and violence, particularly sexual and gender-based violence. And it must include ensuring that victims and survivors have access to justice and redress, and access to full, unhindered, safe sexual and reproductive health services across the country.
Mr President,
Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are unable to attend secondary school. That is why it is so important that the resolution before us includes language which reflects the devastating reality of girls' education across the country. And why it reaffirms the equal right of every Afghan child to education without discrimination and calls upon the Taliban immediately to open schools for girls of all ages.
Mr President,
The UK is proud to co-sponsor this draft resolution and thanks the main sponsors of this resolution and their continued efforts to build consensus in this Council. We urge all members of the Council to join us in supporting this initiative and stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan.
Thank you.
