Jan Egeland, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, has called on Western diplomats to travel to Kandahar and take a more active role in advocating for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
In an interview with France 24, Egeland praised the European Commission for maintaining a delegation in Afghanistan and for sending what he described as “courageous female diplomats” to the country.
Kandahar is regarded as the Taliban’s power hub as it hosts their reclusive leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
“For most of the male envoys of most European countries, meetings are being held in Doha, Dubai, and Islamabad,” Egeland said. “Only a few of them go to Kabul, and even then, only for short missions. They need to go back and stay in Kabul, go to Kandahar, and fight with us for women’s rights and against gender-based discrimination.”
Egeland criticized what he described as the international community’s retreat from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. He argued that many governments have distanced themselves from direct engagement with Afghanistan’s leadership, choosing instead to hold discussions in third countries.
His remarks come as thousands of Afghan refugees face deportation from Iran and Pakistan, where governments say they can no longer sustain large Afghan communities after decades of hosting them.
Egeland, who recently returned from a visit to Afghanistan, warned that those being sent back face extreme hardship and a lack of support. “They are returning to a life of abandonment,” he said.
