Richard Lindsay, the UK’s special envoy for Afghanistan, on Monday warned that barring women and girls from education will harm Afghanistan’s future, reiterating that “education must be available to all.”
In a post on fifth year of the Taliban’s ban on secondary education for girls, Lindsay said that “as Afghanistan’s school year begins, millions of girls are again denied their right to learn.”
“Excluding women and girls from education harms the country’s future and holds back every Afghan community,” he wrote. “Education must be available to all.”
In a related statement shared by the UK mission to the United Nations, officials said the ban means Afghan girls are entering a fifth year without access to secondary education.
The comments were made on the sidelines of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, where UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls Harriet Harman met with Afghan civil society representatives to discuss the situation.
Taliban have barred girls from attending school beyond sixth grade since March 2022 and have also restricted women’s access to higher education, despite repeated calls from the international community to reverse the policies.
Rights groups and UN officials warn that the continued exclusion of girls from education will have long-term consequences for Afghanistan’s development, economy and social stability.
