UN envoy calls for representative governance, education in Afghanistan

Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Mette Knudsen, in his meeting with Chairman of Afghan Senate Fazal Hadi Muslimyar pressed for representative governance, the need for dialogue at all levels, and access to education for girls and boys in Afghanistan.

Knudsen also held discussion with Muslimyar over the role of the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Taking to Twitter, UNAMA said that the UN envoy affirmed continued UN commitment to work in support of the people of Afghanistan.

"I had an official meeting with Mette Knudsen in this meeting. We discussed the effective role of @UNAMA in Afghanistan, Girls and boys education, recent @UNGeneva conference on the humanitarian assistance to Afghans and many other important Afghan inclusion issues," Muslimyar tweeted.

During the meeting with Muslimyar, UNAMA's deputy head discussed representative governance and the need for dialogue at all levels.

Earlier, during a briefing of the Diplomatic Corps on April 6, Knudsen highlighted that the Taliban's decision to ban girls from attending secondary schools has negatively impacted the attitude of the global community towards them.

The Taliban have issued a decree banning female students above grade six from attending their classes in schools. The girls were further told to stay home until the Islamic Emirate announces its next decision.

The decision by the Islamic Emirate has drawn severe backlash across the world with the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union issuing a joint statement to condemn the Taliban's decision to deny Afghan girls the opportunity to go back to schools.

Meanwhile, the envoys and representatives of the European Union, US, and the European countries in a joint statement have also said that the international aid to Kabul will depend on Afghanistan's ability to ensure access to education for girls at all levels, said a media report.

In the joint statement, the envoys and the representatives have said that the type and scope of "international donor assistance will depend, among other things, on the right and ability of girls to attend equal education at all levels," reported TOLOnews.The joint statement further stressed that the progress towards normalized relations between the Taliban and the international community will depend mostly on Kabul's actions and delivery on commitments and obligations to the Afghan people and to the international community.