I have the honor speak on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States, and the candidate countries Albania, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine as well as Monaco, Andorra and San Marino, and Switzerland.

The EU strongly condemns the systemic violation of human rights, in particular of women and girls but also human rights defenders, journalists and other media workers in Afghanistan, preventing the people of Afghanistan from building a resilient and prosperous society. The institutionalization of large-scale and systematic gender-based discrimination by the Taliban is a grave concern and is unparalleled in the world.

Respect for human rights, and in particular, the rights of women and girls to education and freedom of expression, lies at the core of UNESCOs mandate and the EU’s approach.

We welcome the work taken forward by UNESCO in Afghanistan, notably under the UN Strategic Framework for Afghanistan.

We value our partnership with UNESCO, including for instance, through the programme “Support to Afghan Media Resilience to Foster Peace and Security”, which has strengthened the resilience of Afghan media and enhanced the safety of journalists on the ground.

The EU will continue to support UNESCO’s work to enable the people of Afghanistan, notably women and girls, in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2593 and the EU Council Conclusions adopted on 23 March 2023, to fully contribute to the stability and prosperity of Afghanistan.