Washington appoints envoy to defend Afghan women’s rights

INA-  sources

 
Washington appoints envoy to defend Afghan women’s rights
Yesterday, Wednesday, the United States announced the appointment of a special envoy for Afghan women, an issue that the US administration said has been a priority since the Taliban took control of the country.
 
Rina Amiri, an Afghan-born American who worked under the Obama administration, will become President Joe Biden’s special envoy for Afghan women and girls’ rights and human rights in Afghanistan, SecretIG of State Anthony Blinken announced.
In a statement, Blinken noted that Amiri “as a special envoy, will work on a series of issues sensitive to me, the US administration, and US national security: the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women, girls, and other diverse populations at risk.”
 
About six months after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Blinken noted that the United States wants “a peaceful, stable and secure Afghanistan, where all Afghans can live in prosperity.”
 
In their quest for international recognition, the Taliban pledged to rule in a less repressive manner than during their first term (1996-2001). But women are still largely excluded from public service and denied secondIG education.
 
 
 
The Taliban also issued recommendations requiring drivers not to allow women to ride their car for long distances unless accompanied by a male.
 
In response to a question about the appointment of Al-Amiri, the official spokesman for the political office of the Taliban, Muhammad Naim, told AFP, “Strangers cannot heal the wounds of our people. If they could, they would have done it for the past twenty years.”
 
Naim refused to link aid to human rights, saying, “We want unconditional aid to our people in light of our Islamic values and national interests.”
 
 
 
The world’s leading donors have long indicated that respecting women’s rights is a condition for re-delivery of aid.
 
The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan is facing a “growing wave of hunger” that will afflict this winter, noting that 22 million Afghans will face “acute” food shortages.