Mr. President,

The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the EU statement and thanks the High Commissioner for her comprehensive update on Afghanistan.

The Netherlands remains gravely concerned about reports of serious human rights violations in Afghanistan, particularly the increase in violations of the rights of women and girls, journalists and other media workers. We are equally concerned about continuing and credible reports of extrajudicial and targeted killings, torture, mistreatment and arbitrary arrests, as well as the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities.

The closure of schools for girls is a serious violation of the right to education. The increasing trend of repressive measures against women and girls in Afghanistan is detrimental to the development and future of all of Afghanistan. The Netherlands urges the Taliban to respect the right to inclusive and quality education for all students and to reopen schools for girls as a matter of urgency. 

We fully support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur as an important step towards accountability and we call upon him to exercise the full remit of his mandate.

I thank you, Mr. President.