UNITED NATIONS: The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called Thursday for the UN Security Council to authorize the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks. Iran has placed a stranglehold on the key shipping lane -- threatening fuel supplies and buckling the global economy -- in retaliation to US-Israeli strikes that triggered the month-old Middle East war. &quot;Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, prevented commercial vessels and oil tankers from transiting, and imposed conditions on some to pass through the Strait,&quot; said Jassem al-Budaiwi, head of the GCC. He spoke in New York at the first Security Council meeting on cooperation with the GCC, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. &quot;We call upon the Security Council to assume its full responsibility and take all necessary measures to protect maritime routes and ensure the safe continuation of international navigation,&quot; al-Budaiwi said. Bahrain has proposed a draft resolution that would greenlight states to use &quot;all necessary measures&quot; to assure free transit through the Strait of Hormuz. However, the measure has divided the 15-member Security Council. According to diplomatic sources, Russia, China and France -- who each hold veto privileges -- have voiced strong objections despite several modifications to the text. &quot;We want a Security Council decision that addresses the situation comprehensively with the root causes, and not one-sided and unbalanced,&quot; Anna Evstigneeva, deputy representative of Iran-allied Russia, said Wednesday. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that a military operation to free the Strait is &quot;unrealistic.&quot; A fifth version of the draft text was distributed to member states on Thursday. Around a fifth of the world&#39;s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz in peacetime. Its near-total closure is impacting global supplies of important commodities, including oil, liquid natural gas, and fertilizer. That has led to a sharp rise in energy prices.

Americas

Middle East

The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called for the UN Security Council to authorize the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks

Gulf states seek UN mandate for force to protect Hormuz

UNITED NATIONS: Countries that ratified a landmark treaty to protect the high seas on Monday set January 2027 as the proposed date for their first summit, known as a conference of the parties. After years of delays, the treaty was ratified in September by 60 countries. The law aims to protect biodiverse areas in international waters, beyond countries&rsquo; exclusive economic zones. Belizean diplomat Janine Coye-Felson, co-chair of the committee working on implementing the treaty, said the group would recommend &ldquo;that the first meeting of the COP be convened from 11 to 22nd January 2027 at UN Headquarters&rdquo; in New York city. The preparatory committee is holding its final meeting in New York to lay the groundwork for January&rsquo;s summit, where operating rules and the location of a new secretariat must be decided. The treaty, adopted in June 2023, aims to counter the myriad threats facing the world&rsquo;s high seas, including climate change, pollution and overfishing. Teeming with life, the oceans are responsible for creating half of the globe&rsquo;s oxygen supply and are vital to combatting global warming because they absorb significant amounts of the CO2 emitted by human activities, conservationists say. The high seas begin where a country&rsquo;s exclusive economic zone ends &mdash; up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from the coast &mdash; and fall outside the jurisdiction of any single nation. Although they cover nearly half the planet, the high seas have been long overlooked in the fight to preserve the environment. Today only about one percent of the high seas is subject to conservation measures. In 2022 at the COP15 biodiversity conference, the world&rsquo;s nations committed to protect 30 percent of global lands and oceans by the year 2030.

Belizean diplomat Janine Coye-Felson, co-chair of the committee working on implementing the treaty, said the group would recommend “that the first meeting of the COP be convened from 11 to 22nd January 2027 at UN Headquarters” in New York City.

First UN high seas summit proposed for January in New York

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that at a time when the multilateral system is facing an unprecedented stress, and there are widespread calls for a United Nations that is truly fit for purpose, demands for special privileges and new permanent seats should have no place in the reform discussions. Speaking during the second IGN meeting on the cluster of &ldquo;Categories of Membership,&rdquo; Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the UN, said that Pakistan&rsquo;s position has remained consistent and unequivocal: the addition of new permanent members will not dilute the disproportionate influence of the existing permanent members; rather, it risks entrenching and further expanding it, said a press release shared on X by Pakistan&#39;s Permanent Mission to the UN, on Saturday.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2025026834132250673&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=c28e7388c936359b389c6946dae3ab6b905b1080&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2025026834132250673">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Two wrongs cannot make a right and a larger oligarchy is no antidote to an elite power club,&rdquo; he said. He said that a circle of permanence within the Security Council, even though expanded, will still remain a closed circle, adding that no wonder some of the P5 are happy to expand this club, primarily to protect what he termed as &ldquo;their own outdated status in today&rsquo;s Council.&rdquo; The Pakistan UN Ambassador suggested a proposal of a meaningful increase in the number of elected, non-permanent members to balance the unequal power of the P5 as part of efforts to make the Security Council more democratic, accountable and representative. He said that this shift in the internal balance of an expanded Council in favour of the wider UN membership will enhance transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in the Council&rsquo;s decision-making process. Referring to Africa&rsquo;s demand for permanent seats in the reformed Council, Ambassador Ahmad explained that Pakistan fully respected and understood the demand, stating that advanced on behalf of and for the entire region, this demand was fundamentally different from other proposals that are divisive as they seek permanent membership for individual States. Addressing proposals for longer-term fixed regional seats, he acknowledged the Co-Chairs&rsquo; efforts to bridge differences and explore middle-ground solutions.&nbsp; He noted that such ideas implicitly recognize the lack of feasibility surrounding the creation of new permanent members and instead point toward models based on longer-term elected seats, re-election, and regional rotation. &#39;Reform for All &ndash; Privilege for None&#39; While describing these ideas as constructive and worthy of consideration, he stressed that any arrangement must avoid evolving into de-facto permanence. Reform, he emphasized, must not result in expanded exclusivity or privilege. In this context, Pakistan reiterated its longstanding position that expansion of the veto is neither desirable nor feasible. The ambassador stated that any viable reform model must ensure genuine rotation and equitable regional representation.&nbsp; This, he said, can only be achieved through a reasonable expansion in elected, non-permanent seats &mdash; including longer-term and regular two-year terms &mdash; particularly to address the under-representation of certain regions. He further stressed the importance of accommodating sub-regional and cross-regional groupings, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), consistent with commitments outlined in the Pact for the Future. Concluding his statement, the ambassador reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s readiness to engage constructively and in a spirit of flexibility with the Co-Chairs and all Member States to advance genuine reform. He reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s guiding principle:&nbsp;&ldquo;Reform for All &ndash; Privilege for None.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan told the UN IGN debate Security Council reform must avoid new permanent seats or veto expansion, urging more elected members, genuine rotation, regional equity, and inclusivity.

'Reform for All – Privilege for None': Pakistan outlines vision for UN Security Council reform

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the world was facing a moment of &ldquo;polycrisis&rdquo; as &ldquo;geopolitical hostility, climate stress, and technological disruption&rdquo; were all converging into a single destabilizing force.&nbsp; The prime minister&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-accorded-guard-of-honor-in-vienna" style="color:#0073e6;">arrived</a>&nbsp;in Austria last week for a two-day&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-pm-to-visit-austria-for-first-time-in-34-years" style="color:#0073e6;">official visit</a>&nbsp;at the invitation of Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, and Foreign Secretary Ambassador Amna Baloch are also part of the visiting delegation. While&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/austriapakistan-leaders-reaffirm-bilateral-relations-expand-economic-cooperation" style="color:#0073e6;">addressing</a>&nbsp;the United Nations&rsquo; Special Event on Sustainable Development, Pathway for Global Peace and Prosperity held in Vienna International Center, the premier said the &ldquo;only one route to durable peace&rdquo; was the route of &ldquo;sustainable development that leaves no one behind.&rdquo; &ldquo;It is humanity&#39;s ultimate prevention tool, and therefore it is need of the hour,&rdquo; PM Sharif said, adding that &ldquo;development cannot be called sustainable if it excludes millions from the promise of a better life.&rdquo; &ldquo;We must therefore pursue policies that promote inclusion, strengthen social protection, and ensure equitable distribution of resources,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp; The prime minister reminded the gathering that Pakistan&rsquo;s experience with climate change was illustrative as &ldquo;developing countries, despite contributing least to global emissions and historical inequities, bear the heaviest cost of climate change, debt distress, and economic volatility.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;We contribute less than 1% of global emissions, yet we bear the brunt of cascading impacts,&rdquo; he said, asserting that the climate crisis &ldquo;erode human security at its core.&rdquo; &ldquo;Despite formidable challenges, Pakistan remains firmly committed to the ideals of sustainable development,&rdquo; PM Sharif said.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our focus is on human development, education, health care, food security, and social protection, particularly for women and youth, who represent our greatest asset and our future,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Therefore, let us not merely address the festering wounds of our world. Let us heal them at their source,&rdquo; the prime minister added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Economy

Climate & Environment

Health

Security

Pakistan’s prime minister says “geopolitical hostility, climate stress, and technological disruption” were all converging into a single destabilizing force,” adds that only one route to durable peace was the route of “sustainable development that leaves no one behind.”

Planet facing a moment of 'polycrisis,' PM Sharif tells UN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Austria on Sunday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, according to a statement from the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office.&nbsp;Upon arrival at Vienna International Airport, the prime minister was presented with a guard of honor.&nbsp;Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, and Foreign Secretary Ambassador Amna Baloch are also part of the visiting delegation, the Foreign Office reported.&nbsp;Bilateral talks and business engagementDuring the visit, the prime minister will hold bilateral and delegation-level talks with his Austrian counterpart, in which &quot;both leaders will conduct a detailed review of all aspects of Pakistan-Austria relations,&quot; the foreign office statement said.&nbsp;The two leaders will also jointly chair a meeting of prominent business figures.&nbsp;The prime minister is further scheduled to address the Pakistan-Austria Business Forum.&nbsp;UN engagement in ViennaSharif will participate in and address a special event under the United Nations in Vienna on the theme &ldquo;Sustainable Development: The Path to Global Peace and Prosperity.&rdquo;&nbsp;He is also scheduled to meet the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during his visit.

Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Vienna on a two-day official visit, at the invitation of Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, to discuss Pakistan-Austria bilateral relations and to address a UN special ceremony.

PM Sharif in Vienna to boost bilateral ties

ISLAMABAD: Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi thanked Pakistan&rsquo;s leadership and people for Islamabad&rsquo;s strong support and vote against a resolution on Iran at the UN Human Rights Council during a call with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-hopes-for-early-normalization-situation-in-iran-expresses-support-all-diplomatic-efforts" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs</a>&nbsp;said on Saturday that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-fm-expresses-hope-for-peace-in-call-with-iranian-counterpart" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ishaq Dar</a> received a telephone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi while Dar was in Dubai.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 770px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2014958933014929611&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=ad26cefc7de0c22437962f5d487351edabb06497&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2014958933014929611">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>According to the ministry, the two leaders discussed current regional and international developments during the call. The ministry&#39;s post on X said that Foreign Minister Araghchi thanked Dar for his strong support and for Pakistan&rsquo;s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, including Pakistan&rsquo;s call for a vote and its vote against the resolution concerning Iran.&nbsp; He also conveyed deep appreciation for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government, and the people of Pakistan.

Iranian foreign minister thanks Pakistan FM for his strong support and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, including its call for a vote as well as voting against the resolution concerning Iran.

Iran FM thanks Pakistan for support at UN Human Rights Council

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping called on countries to protect the &ldquo;central role&rdquo; of the United Nations in international affairs, urging his Brazilian counterpart on Friday to help safeguard international norms, state media reported. The comments come after US President Donald Trump unveiled plans for his new &ldquo;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/what-is-trumps-board-of-peace" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Board of Peace</a>&rdquo; at the World Economic Forum. While China and Brazil have both been <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-confirms-invited-to-join-trumps-board-of-peace" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited to join Trump&#39;s new grouping</a>, neither has confirmed participation. Xi told President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during their Friday morning phone call that in the current &ldquo;tumultuous&rdquo; international situation, China and Brazil &ldquo;are constructive forces in maintaining world peace and stability&rdquo;, according to a readout published by state broadcaster CCTV. &lsquo;Right side of history&rsquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;They should stand firmly on the right side of history... and jointly uphold the central role of the United Nations and international fairness and justice,&rdquo; Xi said. While in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said that once complete, the board &ldquo;can do pretty much whatever we want&rdquo;, while adding that &ldquo;we&#39;ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations&rdquo;. Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that &ldquo;no matter how the international situation changes, China firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core&rdquo;. Brazil has also expressed skepticism about the Board of Peace, saying it could represent &ldquo;a revocation&rdquo; of the United Nations. Multilateral trading systemLula&#39;s special adviser, Celso Amorim told Brazilian media that &ldquo;we cannot consider a reform of the UN made by one country.&rdquo; During Trump&#39;s global tariff onslaught last year, China and Brazil sought to present their countries as staunch defenders of the multilateral trading system. Xi told Lula in August that they could set an example of &quot;self-reliance&quot; for emerging powers.

China

Beijing's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that ‘no matter how the international situation changes, China firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core’.

China's Xi urges 'central role' of UN in call with Brazil's Lula

BRUSSELS: The US government has asked countries to pay up to $1 billion for a permanent spot on its &ldquo;Board of Peace,&rdquo; aimed at resolving conflicts, according to its charter, seen by AFP. The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but the charter does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory. What will it do?The Board of Peace will be chaired by Trump, according to its founding charter. It is &ldquo;an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,&rdquo; reads the preamble of the charter sent to countries invited to participate. It will &ldquo;undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law,&rdquo; it adds. Who will run it?&nbsp;Trump will be the chairman but will also &ldquo;separately serve&rdquo; as the representative of the United States. &ldquo;The chairman shall have exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfil the Board of Peace&rsquo;s mission,&rdquo; the document states. He will pick members of an executive board to be &ldquo;leaders of global stature&rdquo; to &ldquo;serve two-year terms, subject to removal by the chairman.&rdquo; The charter says the chairman can be replaced only in case of &ldquo;voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity.&rdquo; A US official confirmed that Trump can keep the chairmanship, even after leaving the White House, &ldquo;until he resigns it,&rdquo; although a future US president can appoint a different US representative. Who can be a member?&nbsp;Member states must be invited by the US president and will be represented by their head of state or government. Each member &ldquo;shall serve a term of no more than three years,&rdquo; the charter says. But &ldquo;the three-year membership term shall not apply to member states that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the charter&rsquo;s entry into force,&rdquo; it adds. The US official said that membership itself &ldquo;does not carry any mandatory funding obligation beyond whatever a state or partner chooses to contribute voluntarily.&rdquo; The board will convene annual meetings, with decisions made by majority vote, and the chairman breaking any tie. Who&rsquo;s on the executive board?The executive board will be chaired by Trump and include seven members:<ul><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">US Secretary of State Marco Rubio</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Steve Witkoff, Trump&rsquo;s special negotiator</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Jared Kushner, Trump&rsquo;s son-in-law</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Tony Blair, former UK prime minister</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Marc Rowan, billionaire US financier</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Ajay Banga, World Bank president</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Robert Gabriel, loyal Trump aide on the National Security Council</li></ul> Which countries are invited?&nbsp;Dozens of countries and leaders have said they have received invitations, including close US allies as well as adversaries. China has been invited, but a foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday that Beijing would defend the international system with the United Nations &ldquo;at its core.&rdquo; Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have been invited, despite Russia&rsquo;s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. A number of governments immediately said they would join. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a nationalist who is Trump&rsquo;s most ardent supporter in the European Union, is in, as is another close ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Azerbaijan&rsquo;s autocratic President Ilham Aliyev. The United Arab Emirates, a close US partner, also said it would join. Canada said it would take part but explicitly ruled out paying the $1 billion fee for permanent membership. Who won&rsquo;t be involved?&nbsp;Longtime US ally France has indicated it will not join. The response sparked an immediate threat from Trump to slap sky-high tariffs on French wine. Zelensky said it would be &ldquo;very hard&rdquo; to be a member of a council alongside Russia, and diplomats were &ldquo;working on it.&rdquo; Britain echoed the sentiment, saying it was &ldquo;concerned&rdquo; that Putin had been invited. &ldquo;Putin is the aggressor in an illegal war against Ukraine, and he has shown time and time again he is not serious about peace,&rdquo; said a Downing Street spokesperson. The charter says the board enters into force &ldquo;upon expression of consent to be bound by three states.&rdquo;

US President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2026 (AFP)

Asia

United Kingdom

Central Asia

Europe

US President Donald Trump’s government has asked countries to pay up to $1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace,” aimed at resolving conflicts, according to its charter seen by AFP.

What is Trump's 'Board of Peace'? 

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested that his proposed &ldquo;Board of Peace&rdquo; could one day replace the United Nations, which he described as &ldquo;not very helpful,&rdquo; as he marked the first anniversary of his second term in office at the White House. During a press briefing at the White House, Trump said the UN had potential but added that he had never considered turning to the organization to help resolve <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-announces-board-of-peace-formed-for-gaza" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">international conflicts</a>. When asked whether his envisioned Board of Peace could supplant the United Nations, Trump said it &ldquo;might.&rdquo; The US president also released a list of what he described as major achievements from his first year back in office earlier in the day, highlighting what he portrayed as successes in both domestic and foreign policy. The remarks came as Trump continued to outline an alternative framework for addressing global conflicts through the proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/everybody-wants-to-be-on-board-of-peace-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Board of Peace</a>, an initiative his administration has promoted as a new international mechanism. Board of PeaceAccording to its founding charter, the Board of Peace will be chaired by Trump. It is &quot;an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,&quot; reads the preamble of the charter sent to countries invited to participate. It will &quot;undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law,&quot; it adds.

Trump said the UN is 'not very helpful' as he marked the first anniversary of his second term in office at the White House.

Trump: ‘Board of Peace’ might replace UN

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban government in Afghanistan has instituted a &ldquo;systematic and institutionalized campaign aimed at erasing Afghan women and girls, including through a plethora of restrictive edicts,&rdquo; United Nations experts said in a <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/01/treaty-crimes-against-humanity-states-must-give-afghan-women-central-voice" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">press release</a>&nbsp;on Monday.&nbsp; &ldquo;The de facto authorities have banned girls from education beyond grade 6, severely restricted women&rsquo;s right to work, and effectively criminalized their presence in public life,&rdquo; the press release said.&nbsp; The Taliban government has moved backwards when it comes to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/taliban-detains-woman-journalist-in-northern-afghanistan" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">rights</a>&nbsp;for women ever since it came to power in 2021. The government has ratified laws that restrict&nbsp;women&#39;s access to education,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-calls-on-taliban-to-lift-ban-on-afghan-women-in-its-offices" target="_blank">public-sector</a>&nbsp;jobs, and even amusement parks.&nbsp; According to a press release issued by the UN, states must ensure the meaningful participation of Afghan women leaders and gender justice activists in the imminent negotiations on the new treaty.&nbsp; &ldquo;For the treaty on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity to be a transformative instrument of justice, it cannot be drafted in a vacuum,&rdquo; the experts said.&nbsp; The experts included five members from the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett. The experts, according to the press release, said that the treaty&#39;s legitimacy would depend on whether it &ldquo;enables the meaningful participation of those who are living under the very atrocities the treaty seeks to address and prevent.&rdquo; &ldquo;States must therefore stand in solidarity with Afghan women, girls, and others targeted based on their gender by ensuring their meaningful inclusion, and with serious consideration of the lived realities on the ground in Afghanistan,&rdquo; it said. Separately, in a post on X, former Afghan parliamentarian Fawzia Koofi welcomed the statement from the UN experts, urging the &ldquo;UN sixth committee to ensure women, especially survivors, are heard and included in every step of the negotiation process on the convention on crimes against humanity.&rdquo; According to the press release, experts urged the member states to heed the calls of Afghan women and other activists &ldquo;to include the crime of gender apartheid within the new treaty.&rdquo; They said that Afghanistan stood as one of the &ldquo;clearest and most urgent examples of why inclusive survivor participation is indispensable.&rdquo; &ldquo;The voices of Afghan women in civil society are not merely testimonies; they are authoritative sources and primary experts on the oppression they face,&rdquo; they said, adding that their participation was essential to &ldquo;ensuring that international law evolves to address the realities of the atrocities unfolding today.&rdquo; They called on states to ensure the &ldquo;codification of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity, and uphold gender-responsive provisions throughout the treaty.&rdquo; &ldquo;At the same time, we urge states to strengthen other modes of support for Afghan women, girls, and gender-diverse persons, including through actively preventing normalization of the Taliban de facto regime, establishing safe, legal and long-term immigration pathways and providing sustained funding for women-led civil society,&rdquo; UN experts said. &ldquo;Naming gender apartheid is a necessary step toward dismantling it,&rdquo; they added. &ldquo;We must stand in solidarity with those on the front lines by providing a legal name for their lived reality, ensuring the international community can hold perpetrators accountable for the totality of their crimes,&rdquo; the press release concluded.

Afghanistan

The Taliban government has moved backwards when it comes to rights for women ever since they came into power in 2021; the government has ratified laws that restrict women from accessing education, public sector jobs, and even going to amusement parks. 

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