Mr President,
We welcome the Secretary-General's report on the situation in Afghanistan and thank the speakers for their remarks, recommendations and work.
I would also like to refer to the stakeout of the States that have signed what we call the Shared Commitments. We must explore all legal avenues and instruments, from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to the International Criminal Court (ICC), to hold accountable those who systematically violate international law.
Mr President,
While the Secretary-General's report notes some macroeconomic progress, it also highlights the unprecedented humanitarian and social crises, accompanied by serious human rights violations, as well as the lack of response to the ecological crisis posed by climate change.
Today - as we have heard many times - more than two-thirds of the Afghan population are in need of aid. Women remain systematically excluded from education and paid work, as well as from political, economic and social life in general. This only worsens the situation of entire families. The violation of women's rights - in addition to the fact that they are crimes, and the consequences for their health, including mental health - therefore weighs heavily on the economic and humanitarian prospects of the entire country.
First and foremost, the fact that humanitarian work carried out by women is largely suspended costs human lives. But the exclusion of women also jeopardises humanitarian action as a whole, discourages the necessary funding and encourages economic diversion.
There is no doubt about it: if Afghanistan is to recover, it needs women who can determine their own future and play an active part in shaping public and political life.
This starts at school, where girls acquire the necessary skills. As Ms Basij-Rasikh so rightly said at our meeting in June: "The secret of a stable Afghanistan, a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan, is no secret at all: it is educated girls."
We refer here to Resolution 2681 of this Council, which calls on the Taliban to rapidly reverse its policies and practices.
Allow me also to make a more general comment: as High Commissioner Volker Türk said, human rights in Afghanistan are on the verge of collapse. Switzerland actively supports UNAMA's important in this area work - and I would like to thank the Special Representative - in particular the collection of data across the country and the production of relevant reports, so that one day justice can be done. It is also important to develop long-term solutions. This requires close collaboration with civil society organisations.
When it comes to long-term approaches, we cannot forget the ecological crisis posed by climate change in Afghanistan. Its cumulative effects are having a devastating impact on people's livelihoods, security and economy in Afghanistan and the region. Food insecurity is exacerbated by rising temperatures, changes in rainfall and the increased frequency of extreme weather events. More people are forced to move within and outside the country, a potential source of It is, therefore, important to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change now and strengthen people's resilience and capacity to adapt while adopting a gender-sensitive approach. Switzerland is of the opinion that this Council should give more attention to this issue and support UNAMA's important efforts in this regard.
Mr. Chairman,
The Secretary-General states in his report that the Taliban will only achieve economic autonomy if they succeed in establishing a relationship of trust with the international community.
For Switzerland, this trust requires inclusive governance and, above all else, respect for the human rights of the Afghan people in all their diversity.
We are therefore going to commit ourselves within this Council to the implementation of these adopted resolutions, and to a more coherent and holistic strategy based on the eagerly awaited evaluation. Above all, we are also going to commit ourselves on the ground and in the region to concrete support for the Afghan people.
Thank you.