UN mission discusses 'meaningful peace' with Afghan reform council

The UN Mission in Afghanistan met with the country's Reform and Consultative Council on Sunday and discussed proposals to promote tolerance and secure meaningful peace in the country.

“UNAMA’s acting Political Head Scott Smith grateful to members of the Afghanistan Reform and Consultative Council for meeting today. No shortage of thoughtful proposals nor goodwill to promote tolerance and secure a meaningful peace,” said United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a tweet.

This meeting comes in the backdrop of a range of issues affecting Afghanistan. In the past few weeks, dozens of countries have expressed deep disappointment about escalating restrictions on the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

Last week, the G7 Foreign Ministers had deplored the Taliban’s recent decree enforcing hijab on Afghan women and new punishments for family members to enforce compliance with these restrictions.

They had condemned the imposition of increasingly restrictive measures that severely limit half the population’s ability to fully, equally, and meaningfully participate in society, including the recent announcement on women’s appearance in public along with new punishments for family members to enforce compliance with these restrictions.

“We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union express our strongest opposition and deplore the increasing restrictions imposed on the rights and freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban,” the G7 Foreign Ministers’ said on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan.

They also reiterated strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

• Asia