Spain's foreign minister condemned the Taliban's restrictions on women at a conference in Madrid attended by dozens of Afghan women activists and representatives from various countries.
He said that Spain will continue its efforts to end impunity for human rights abusers and establish accountability for crimes committed in Afghanistan.
The conference, titled "Listen to Us," was held on Friday at the headquarters of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid, with the participation of more than fifty Afghan women activists and special representatives of some countries.
This conference was held in cooperation with the Women for Afghanistan organisation and hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to create a political space and accountability for Afghan women, and is a continuation of the Afghan Women's Meeting in Albania.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álbares opened the conference and in a speech condemned the Taliban's restrictions on women, saying that these restrictions "are not only an attack on women, but also an attack on the most fundamental human rights”.
He called on the Taliban to repeal all decrees that violate the most fundamental rights of women and girls.
The Spanish Foreign Minister stressed on the need for women's active participation in all political processes in Afghanistan.
The purpose of this conference is to draw the world's attention to women's issues and to hear the voices of Afghan women.
Representatives of the United Nations and other international organisations also attended the meeting.
Álbares also called for the Taliban to be held accountable for human rights violations in Afghanistan, and called on various countries to support the women's initiative to hold the Taliban accountable. The Spanish Foreign Minister called for legal action against the Taliban for violating the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement that the meeting strengthened the voice of Afghan women, created a clear and coherent approach, and agreed on the next steps to implement the decisions contained in the Declaration of the Afghan Women's Summit held in Albania in September 2024.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry statement said that these decisions include a commitment to the meaningful participation of Afghan women in all political processes related to Afghanistan.
Regular support for women-led initiatives, meetings and dialogue processes in parallel with the Doha process, and a commitment to holding the Taliban accountable to international justice for human rights violations in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women and girls, are another part of these decisions.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry said that Afghan women also issued a “call to action” urging the international community to meaningfully involve Afghan women in all political processes related to Afghanistan and to regularly support initiatives, meetings and dialogue processes such as the Madrid Conference. The Spanish Foreign Minister met with Afghan women activists on the sidelines of the meeting.
