Thank you,

The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the EU statement.

The Netherlands thanks the Special Rapporteur for his report, and is deeply concerned about the ongoing decline in the human rights situation across the board in Afghanistan. We continue to urge the Taliban to respect and safeguard all human rights, including for women and girls, journalists, human rights defenders, minority groups and LGBTQI+ persons.

Accountability remains an important human rights priority of the Netherlands; it is key to defend, promote and protect human rights. International accountability mechanisms as well as informal justice mechanisms become even more important when domestic rule of law systems fail to provide justice and accountability. The collection, consolidation, preservation, and analysis of evidence are crucial steps in the fight against impunity. We therefore look forward to the report on Afghan women and girls of the Special Representative, and emphasize the importance of Mr. Bennett being able to travel to Afghanistan to obtain firsthand information.

Mr. Bennett, what opportunities are there to strengthen accountability for human rights violations in Afghanistan, both through international accountability mechanisms such as your mandate, as well as informal, customary justice mechanisms in Afghanistan?