ISLAMABAD: The President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, on Monday called attention to the ongoing human rights crisis in Afghanistan, describing the Taliban’s policies toward women and girls as a “gender apartheid system.”

Speaking at the opening of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, Baerbock warned that decades of progress for Afghan women and girls are at risk, with restrictions barring them from work, education, and participation in public life.

“Women’s rights are the benchmark for the state of a society,” she said. “If women, meaning half of the world population, are not safe, no one will be safe.” She criticized any appeasement of such violations and urged member states to uphold humanitarian principles while holding the Afghan authorities accountable.

Baerbock said she remains troubled by ongoing debates within the UN and the broader international community over how to deliver humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan while women and girls are effectively excluded from public life. She questioned how aid mechanisms can function when half the population is barred from participating in society.

She also criticized attempts to draw distinctions between different factions of the Taliban. Some policymakers have suggested that leaders based in Kabul may be more moderate than those in Kandahar, but Baerbock warned against such reasoning.

In discussions taking place in global capitals and within UN institutions, she said, the core principle of defending human rights, particularly those of Afghan women, has too often been sidelined.

“Appeasement in the face of grave human rights violations will not yield results,” she cautioned.

Elected in June 2025 to preside over the 80th session of the General Assembly, Baerbock stressed that women’s rights serve as a benchmark for the condition of societies worldwide. With women comprising half of the global population, she said, global security and stability cannot be achieved if four billion people are denied safety and equality.

Beyond Afghanistan, Baerbock warned of a wider rollback of women’s rights globally. Norms and protections once considered firmly established, she said, are increasingly being challenged or eroded.

Calling for decisive international action, Baerbock urged governments to defend universal human rights standards. She has previously advocated for the European Union to impose sanctions on the Taliban, citing what she describes as systematic gender persecution in Afghanistan.

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UNGA president highlights ‘gender apartheid’ in Afghanistan