Delivered by H.E. Ms. Auðbjörg Halldórsdóttir
Permanent Delegate of Iceland to UNESCO
Item 222 EX/4.I.J - UNESCO's actions in support of Afghans
222nd Executive Board Session
Paris, 14 October 2025

The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan remains one of the most urgent human rights crises within UNESCO’s mandate. The recent earthquake tragically highlighted their exclusion, as reports indicate that restrictive gender policies prevented women and girls from receiving timely rescue and assistance.

The Taliban’s systemic ban on education for girls, and severe restrictions on women’s participation in public life, culture, and media,  have effectively erased women and girls from society — silencing their voices and denying them fundamental rights. For four years, women and girls have been barred from attending school past the primary level, facing unimaginable oppression. This needs to be condemned in the strongest terms.

These measures represent systemic gender persecution and a flagrant violation of international human rights law and is described by Afghan women themselves as gender apartheid. The lack of accountability for these violations deepens impunity and weakens the international system as a whole. UNESCO and its Member States must stand firm in rejecting the normalization of such discriminatory policies.

While recognizing the difficult context, it is essential that UNESCO’s actions in Afghanistan maintain a strong, targeted focus on women and girls across all sectors.

We therefore urge UNESCO to ensure that current funding is being used to focus on Afghan women and girls and to follow-up on the High-Level Conference held in Headquarters this spring.

Finally, we would like to thank and commend the staff of the Kabul Office for their dedication under difficult circumstances. We also wish to thank the Member States who co-sponsored and supported Iceland’s amendments to the draft decision on this highly important issue.

Thank you