Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for Human Rights, South Asia and the Commonwealth and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, will virtually address the UN Human Rights Council and hold urgent discussions with humanitarian partners about the situation in Afghanistan.

The UK’s Minister for Human Rights, South Asia and the Commonwealth will make a statement on Tuesday morning at an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council focussed on Afghanistan.

Speaking on behalf of the UK, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad will say:

Over the last twenty years, the UK and our NATO allies have worked to promote human rights in Afghanistan, especially for women and girls.

Twenty years ago almost no girls went to school, and women were banned from positions of governance. Now, 3.6 million Afghan girls are in school, and women hold over a quarter of the seats in Afghanistan’s parliament. Maternal mortality has almost halved, and infant mortality has decreased faster than in any low income country.

These gains must not be reversed.

The Taliban need to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Lord (Tariq) Ahmad is expected to speak with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. He will underscore the UK’s commitment to protecting the human rights of the Afghan people.

The Minister will also meet with key humanitarian partners – including leaders from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the International Organisation for Migration, the UN High Commission for Refugees and the UN Population Fund – to discuss the humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan.

Last week the UK supported a UN Security Council statement which called for all parties to allow immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for humanitarian agencies and actors providing assistance in Afghanistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad’s discussions in Geneva with humanitarian partners will focus on what more the international community can do to ensure this remains the case.

Background

• The Human Rights Council will hold a special session on 24 August, to address the “serious human rights concerns and situation in Afghanistan”. The special session is being convened following an official request submitted jointly by Pakistan, Coordinator of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and Afghanistan. The United Kingdom supported the request for a Special Session. The Special Session can be watched live via UNTV.

The Prime Minister spoke to US President Joe Biden again this evening on the situation in Afghanistan, ahead of tomorrow’s G7 meeting.

They discussed the ongoing efforts by the UK and US to coordinate the rapid and safe evacuation of our nationals and those who previously worked with our governments from Kabul International Airport.

The leaders agreed to continue working together to ensure those who are eligible to leave are able to, including after the initial phase of the evacuation has ended.

The Prime Minister and President Biden noted the importance of concerted diplomatic engagement to secure the progress made in Afghanistan and prevent a humanitarian crisis.

They committed to driving international action, including through the G7 and UN Security Council, to stabilise the situation, support the Afghan people and work towards an inclusive and representative Afghan government.