UN Urges Australia To Sustain Support For Afghan Women & Girls
A senior UN Women official has urged Australia to maintain its support for women and girls in Afghanistan, describing their situation under Taliban rule as the worst in the world.
A senior UN Women official has urged Australia to maintain its support for women and girls in Afghanistan, describing their situation under Taliban rule as the worst in the world.
Christine Arab, UN Women’s regional director for Asia and the Pacific, told the Associated Press in Australia that Afghan women and girls face a continuing rollback of even their most basic rights.
She said a series of Taliban decrees have effectively rendered women and girls invisible.
“Everything from eliminating their right to education, limiting their ability to be in public spaces, to go to tertiary education, to access certain services. It is a cyclical issue,” Arab said.
Earlier, Australia’s foreign ministry allocated an additional $50 million to address the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, said Canberra, alongside international partners, would continue legal action against the Taliban over violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. She also condemned what she described as the Taliban’s repressive policies, particularly towards women and girls.
Arab said it is essential that support for women and girls remains central to all humanitarian commitments. “This is a crucial moment for Australia to sustain its commitments,” she said.
She added that, under current conditions, the multilateral system and the international community’s commitment to human rights are more important than ever.
UN Women’s theme for 2026 is “Balance the Scales: For All Women and Girls,” promoting the message that all women and girls, regardless of background or identity, should be able to live safely, be heard and freely shape their futures.
