"We are very concerned about the persistence of violence against women." [fr]

I would like to thank Mr. Potzel, Ms. Waly and Ms. Koofi for their edifying statements.

I would like to raise three points.

First, human rights, and in particular the rights of women and children.

These rights are trampled on by the Taliban, they are trampled on in total disregard of the commitments that have been made.

Women and girls bear the brunt of the Taliban’s edicts governing all aspects of their daily lives, depriving them of their most basic rights and freedoms.

We are very concerned about the persistence of violence against women, their exclusion from public life, the imposition of head-to-toe coverings, and the restrictions on their access to public services, secondary education, the economy, and most positions, including in the administration.
We are also concerned about the denial of justice, the rising rates of forced marriages, including child marriages, restrictions on freedom of peaceful demonstration, and arrests, ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention.
This multifaceted repression also affects children, who are particularly vulnerable.
We call for an end to impunity for the perpetrators of such violations and for the implementation of UNAMA’s recommendations on human rights. There can be no recovery in Afghanistan, including economic recovery, without the full participation of women and girls in these processes.

Secondly, we have noted for several months that the security situation remains very precarious.

On the counter-terrorism front, Daech in Khorassan continues to attack. And the group has demonstrated its ability to strike in new provinces, and to attack both civilians and diplomatic compounds. Moreover, the Taliban’s ties to al Qaeda have clearly not been severed, contrary to the clearly expressed demands of this Council.

As we have seen, drug trafficking remains a destabilizing factor at the regional and international levels. Afghanistan remains one of the three countries where more than 95% of the world’s opium poppy cultivation is concentrated. Trafficking in methamphetamine manufactured in Afghanistan continues to grow. And we do not see any concrete signs that the situation is changing.

Finally, France is not turning a blind eye to the humanitarian situation, which continues to be of concern.

France has disbursed more than 120 million euros in humanitarian aid since last August. We have also provided emergency aid to the victims of the floods and the earthquake in June. We are participating in the financing of the European Union’s action, which has mobilized more than one billion euros with its member states over the past year for Afghanistan. While there are reports of attempts by the Taliban to interfere with the delivery of humanitarian aid, we continue to demand full and unhindered access for the entire population to the aid intended for them.

The Taliban have shown no sign of taking into account the needs and expectations of their own people. And the international community is willing to work with Afghanistan, we know that, but with certain non-negotiable conditions, compliance with which will continue to be measured by their actions.

The terms of Security Council Resolution 2593 could not be clearer about commitments that cannot be traded off or passed over. This is not the time to lower our demands or to grant unilateral financial concessions to the Taliban.

France reiterates its full support for the Afghan people, as well as its full cooperation with the United Nations, in particular UNAMA, of which I would like to salute the remarkable and indispensable action on the ground.