UN Security Council Addresses Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan, Urges Reform and Support for Afghan Women

The United Nations Security Council, excluding Russia and China, strongly condemned the Taliban's persecution of women in Afghanistan and called for urgent action to hold the leadership accountable. The Taliban has implemented over 50 decrees aimed at erasing women from public life, including closing education for women, excluding them from government, and denying them job opportunities. Afghan women have described living as prisoners in darkness, and experts have called for the international recognition and codification of the gender apartheid system in Afghanistan. Despite the ban on Afghan women working for U.N. agencies, diplomatic engagement with the Taliban is seen as crucial for effecting change. Russia and China did not condemn the Taliban's policies but instead criticized the U.S. and NATO for their role in Afghanistan and expressed interest in developing relations with the Taliban government.