The U.N. mission in Afghanistan urged the country’s Taliban rulers on Tuesday to embrace global human rights obligations for the protection and prosperity of future generations.
The mission’s call follows increasing alarm over a reported suspension of medical education and training for women and girls.
Authorities have neither confirmed the suspension nor responded to the reports, which said that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered educational institutions to stop providing medical courses for females.
The U.N. mission said that the theme for this year’s International Human Rights Day emphasized how rights empowered people to build a better future.
“Regrettably, we continue to see the opposite unfold in Afghanistan,” said Roza Otunbayeva, who is the head of the mission. “There is an ongoing, dangerous erosion of human rights protections, with women and girls bearing the brunt.”
The human rights record of authorities was especially marked by their systemic discrimination against womenand girls, who are excluded from most areas of daily and public life, including education and work, …