EU Statement on UNESCO’s actions in support of Afghans - 225th Executive Board, UNESCO

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union, and the candidate countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine and the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco and the Republic of San Marino.

The European Union strongly condemns the human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan, particularly extreme gender-based discrimination by the Taliban against women and girls. This has led to an overall deterioration of the situation for women and girls through the severe limitation of their participation in public and social life and by denying their human rights, including the rights to education, work, and freedom of movement.

The European Union remains alarmed by the further deterioration of the rights situation for women and girls in 2026, and by the fact that Afghanistan is the only country where girls are banned from public education beyond Grade 6, affecting more than 2.2 million girls. We call for the unconditional reversal of these discriminatory policies.

We commend UNESCO's efforts to provide alternative learning pathways to women and girls, and although indispensable under the current circumstances, they cannot substitute formal, inclusive and quality education. In this regard, the European Union and UNESCO launched a €4.7 million partnership in 2025 to promote economic empowerment through community-based skills development and literacy training in Afghanistan.

The European Union will continue its unwavering support to Afghan independent media and civil society organisations, including those working on human rights and women's rights, and human rights defenders, despite the closed and risky space in which they operate. This commitment has been reflected in the European Union's support for UNESCO implemented initiatives on Media and Information Literacy, documentary heritage, freedom of expression and the safety of journalists.

The European Union remains deeply concerned about the threats to cultural heritage, the continuation of illegal excavations and illicit trafficking in cultural goods, the safety of cultural professionals, specifically women, and the constrains on their livelihood.

The European Union commends the work executed by UNESCO in Afghanistan and notes positively the extension of the UN Strategic Framework for Afghanistan until 2030. We underline the key role of the UN in Afghanistan, as evidenced by the European Union being a committed financial contributor to UNESCO's work in Afghanistan.