Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on world leaders to address pressing human rights crises, including the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, as they gather for the annual General Debate at the United Nations General Assembly.
In a statement, HRW highlighted the plight of Afghan women and girls, who have been deprived of nearly all their rights since the Taliban regained power in 2021. The group urged leaders to break what it called the “global neglect” of Afghanistan’s humanitarian and rights crises.
HRW also stressed that other critical issues—such as the conflicts in Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, Haiti, Myanmar, and Venezuela—should be central to discussions when the assembly meets from September 20 to 30.
“World leaders at the U.N. General Assembly should commit to bold steps to end atrocity crimes in the world’s worst crises and hold those responsible accountable,” said Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch.
Charbonneau further urged the international community to endorse concrete proposals at the upcoming Summit of the Future, focusing on tackling poverty, economic injustice, and the climate crisis—issues that pose significant threats to global stability.
Afghanistan’s human rights situation has deteriorated sharply since the Taliban’s return to power, with recent legal decrees imposing even stricter restrictions, particularly targeting women. The Taliban’s leader has defended the establishment of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which has enforced these measures, including a ban on women’s public participation and speech.
The European Parliament recently passed a resolution condemning the Taliban’s policies and called for the European Union to support international recognition of what it termed “gender apartheid.”
