YouSaid · the spoken record

Seraj

lines on the record: 21
first: 2022-01-26
most recent: 2022-12-20
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The Taliban must be made aware, in clear terms, that it is their retrograde policies that are stopping the economy from functioning normally and that they should reverse them if the country is to find economic stability. All members have been engaging with the Taliban, which I consider to be a great idea and a great thing to do. We want members to continue their engagement. But when engaging with the Taliban, I ask that members make sure to keep the interests of the people of Afghanistan in mind. Ultimately, peace, security and stability in Afghanistan are not only in the interest of the people of Afghanistan, but also in the interest of the entire world.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“No one wants to invest in a country that is unstable. Banks do not want to transact business with Afghanistan. In addition, the policies of the Taliban have meant that more than half of the members of the working-age population — women — are now jobless and confined to their homes. They were major contributors to work and moneymaking in Afghanistan. On behalf of the people of Afghanistan, I would like to request that the Council continue to provide life-saving aid to our people. Aid must reach all Afghans, including women, minorities and other vulnerable groups. The international community must ensure that such humanitarian aid is not diverted. But we also need support to reinvigorate our economy.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“Malnutrition will affect more than 3 million children. There has been a sixfold increase in debt across Afghanistan’s households because of the economic collapse, job losses and inflation, and most Afghans today live in poverty. In short, the ordinary lives of the people of Afghanistan are full of misery and destitution. We are truly thankful to all who have provided assistance to our people. There are so many here in the Chamber who have been generous with their aid. But that is not enough. The needs of the people are so enormous and the situation so miserable that our requirements are huge. Unfortunately, Afghanistan is an economy that has depended on foreign aid for many decades now. The takeover by the Taliban and the resultant stoppage of aid and economic links to the world have hit us hard. Development projects are at a standstill.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“The people of Afghanistan were used to participating in their country’s governance structure. It was not a perfect system, but at least it was inclusive and participatory. Today’s governance is carried out only by a small group of men. It is almost as if the rest have no stake in the system. Finally, and most important for the Afghan people, the economic and humanitarian situations in the country are dire. Mere words cannot express what we have to go through every day, and mere statistics will not show the full picture. Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths provided clear statistics on the entire situation in Afghanistan, and I really thank him for that. It was a very compelling briefing. Just to give an idea of where we stand — more than 20 million people are facing acute hunger, the most anywhere in the world.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“The world was unmoved when Al-Qaida established itself and its bases in Afghanistan and terrorist groups expanded their tentacles throughout the region. The world stayed silent. It was only after the attacks of 11 September 2001 that people realized that the threat of terrorism is not limited to a single part of the world. We can sense the same complacency today. There is almost a naive belief that the terrorist entities that now have free rein in Afghanistan will at worst expand their reach within the region and nothing more. History teaches us otherwise, and I do not want to have to come back here in a year or so and say I told you so. Thirdly, the Security Council’s resolutions talk about the need for inclusive governance, but what is the reality?”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan, Al-Qaida and Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent and all the other cross-border terrorist groups in the region are now emboldened. If any Council members are under the impression that it is only Afghanistan that will suffer as a result of the terrorism in our country, they should think again. Just in the past year, we have had attacks on the Russian Embassy, the Ambassador of Pakistan and, very recently, a hotel hosting Chinese visitors. Even the United Nations report (see S/2022/916) mentions that the terrorist entities enjoy more freedom of movement today in Afghanistan. Let me look back at what happened in the 1990s. We are told that what happens in Afghanistan will stay in Afghanistan.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“Similarly, minorities have vanished and have been banished from Afghanistan’s public and social life. Our brothers and sisters in minority communities no longer believe that the country belongs to them. Discriminatory policies and fear of the unknown, as well as the gory history of what happened to minorities in the 1990s, serve as a grim reminder to them. In addition, ethnic and religious minorities’ places of worship are deliberately targeted by terrorist groups. It is very unfortunate that the world is still silent about this. Secondly, are we more safe and secure today than we were a year and a half ago? Yes, the civil war has ended, but we are living in fear every day. International terrorist groups have been wreaking havoc with impunity.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“The Taliban issued a mandate that women must cover their faces when they go out, which was not something that was happening before. We covered the rest of our bodies but not our faces. Women are not allowed to go out in public without a male guardian. Women who used to be the sole breadwinners for their families are no longer permitted to go to their offices or workplaces. Public corporal punishment has made its way back into Afghan society. There are about three dozen edicts by the Taliban that target the women of Afghanistan alone. As I mentioned before, this is not just about women’s status but about their literal erasure from public life. It is a complete reversal of the empowerment enjoyed by the women of Afghanistan over the past 20 years, when they made advances in many walks of life.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“First, I said that hundreds of thousands of Afghans had been displaced to countries around the world and that women were literally being erased from public life, down to the beheading of female mannequins in shop windows. It pains me to say that the situation has only worsened since then. Barely two months after I said that in the Council, the world was shocked by the promises that had been made to the international community and that were not kept. The schools were closed to girls. Girls were being locked out of their schools and forced to return home. It has been 700 days and Afghan girls have yet to be permitted to return, making Afghanistan the only country in the world where girls are banned from going to school. And that is not the only thing.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“Ms. Seraj: First of all, before I begin I would like to thank you, Madam President, and the Government of India, for giving me this opportunity to talk about Afghanistan, in my capacity as a human rights defender. I am also a voice for the women of Afghanistan. I would like to thank you very much for that and for the opportunity to brief the Council on what is really happening in Afghanistan today. I thank you for inviting me to today’s important meeting. It was nearly a year ago, in January, that I was last here in the Council (see S/PV.8954). As I have lived in Afghanistan since then, I can provide some reflections on how things stand today as compared to how they were in January. Let me therefore revisit some of the points that I made then in this same forum and see where we stand today.”
2022-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9227 (2022) · source
“Diverse representation of Afghan women, especially civil society, is essential. I am not the first, nor will I be the last Afghan woman to address the Council. But this time, I hope the international community will start to take us seriously. While we cannot turn back the clock, we can choose to work differently moving forward. Ensuring that Afghan women are meaningfully a part of our country’s future is a critical place to start.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“At the same time, the international community must not be afraid to use its important leverage over the Taliban. Human rights, women’s rights and accountability must be part of every conversation. In addition, clear conditions must be placed on any economic and political support to the Taliban in order to ensure that they respect human rights. The Council affirmed the importance of upholding all human rights in resolution 2593 (2021). Now the Council must act on it. Finally, the international community must stop sending all-male delegations to meet with the Taliban. That sends a dangerous signal that the international community does not value our rights or our views. Sending foreign women is not enough; we must start the process of inclusive governance for and by Afghans.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“At the same time, the Taliban cannot use the lives of Afghans to hold the international community to ransom. It is therefore in our collective interest to ensure that there is a robust international presence through the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) who can be our eyes and ears on the ground, monitoring developments in the country and whether the Taliban are following through on their commitments. That is especially important at a time where civil society, the media and international non-governmental organizations are unable to do so. UNAMA should also play a key role in supporting dialogue with the Taliban and ensure inclusive consultations with Afghans from all parts of the country and all walks of life.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“We were taxpayers, breadwinners and innovators — all critical for the country’s prosperity. In fact, restricting women’s right to work could reduce Afghanistan’s gross domestic product by up to $1 billion. And although the Taliban does not support our right to work outside the home, the majority of Afghans do. The international community must protect that right, dedicate funds to supporting us and engage us as partners in developing solutions to the current crisis. That brings me to my final, but most important point. The people of Afghanistan, especially its women, see the dilemma the world currently faces regarding how to engage with the Taliban while addressing the present, urgent need of all Afghans. Ordinary Afghans must not be punished for a crisis they had no part in creating.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Women’s organizations in Afghanistan must be consulted on all aspects of this humanitarian operation. While humanitarian assistance is critical to managing short-term needs, the collapsing banking system and economy must also be addressed. Presently, ordinary Afghans who need to withdraw money must wait for hours before collecting the small amount permitted for that day. The prices of food staples continue to rise. Afghans have lost half a million jobs since August, which disproportionately impacts women. The massive brain drain, prompted by the Taliban takeover, has left the country without enough qualified workers. Even if the banking system restarts and supply- chain demands are addressed, women’s engagement in the workforce will be critical to the success of Afghanistan’s economy.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“As the humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated over the past five months, the people of my country have asked what they have done to deserve this, and no one has answers for them. It is the responsibility of the Security Council, the international community and the United Nations to do everything in their power to provide life-saving assistance in order to avert further suffering. Aid must reach all Afghans, including women, minorities and other marginalized groups. All humanitarian workers, including women, must be able to carry out their work freely and without fear of reprisals. Further, the international community must continue to ensure that humanitarian assistance goes directly to principled humanitarian organizations and local organizations operating on the ground and not routed through the Taliban.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“If the Council claims to support us, it cannot remain silent. We are in the midst of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Since the Taliban’s takeover, hunger and poverty in Afghanistan have skyrocketed. More than half the population needs urgent food assistance at this very moment. Some families have resorted to selling their children or marrying off their girls — some as young as nine years of age — in order to pay for food and urgent health care. The Taliban’s restrictions on women aid workers and their systematic dismantling of the country’s mechanisms to address gender-based violence are endangering women’s access to services. Our hospitals lack equipment and medication, including tests for the coronavirus disease.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Every day, we are in the streets protesting, despite the threats, weapons and violence. We are fighting for our inclusion, for justice and for an end to the repression of our people. But we need the Council’s political support and resources to succeed. We need the Council to stand by us and ensure that Afghan women are equal partners in making decisions about the future of our country. That means calling for the Taliban to rescind the mahram policy and uphold women’s freedom of movement and to ensure that we can exercise our right to education, work and health. It means that, upon hearing that women human rights defenders like Tamana Zaryab Paryani and Parwana Ebrahim Khel have been taken from their homes for protesting against the hijab, not giving up when asking about their whereabouts or about the disappearance of Alia Azizi.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“The majority of Afghanistan’s girls are banned from secondary school and university. Many women have fled the country or are prisoners in their own homes. Female judges, once celebrated by the international community, are on the run from the very individuals they imprisoned. Women are now required to travel with a mahram, or male guardian. This has restricted not only their basic freedom of movement, but their ability to live their lives. It has prevented women from reaching their health appointments, escaping situations of domestic violence and seeking employment. In a country where millions of Afghan women are widows and the sole breadwinners for their children, this rule is sabotaging families and threatening their survival. It feels as though the world has given up on Afghanistan and Afghan women, but we have not.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“My Afghan sisters and I warned the Security Council and broader international community of this possibility for decades. It pains me to be in this Chamber before the Security Council today to affirm this truth. But we will not be silenced, and the Council has a tremendous responsibility for keeping the promises it has made to us over the years. My statement today will focus on the responsibility of the Security Council, the United Nations and the international community for keeping Afghan women’s rights front and centre throughout all deliberations on Afghanistan. After 20 years of tasting freedom — working, studying, playing sports, performing music — it has taken less than six months to completely dismantle the rights of women and girls across the country.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source
“Ms. Seraj: My name is Mahbouba Seraj. I am an Afghan-American women’s rights activist who has been living in Afghanistan since 2003. Over the last 20 years, the people of Afghanistan — especially women and girls — have fought for equality, human rights, inclusive governance and peace in our country. Yet the hasty exit of the international community from Afghanistan last August has undermined our achievements and dashed our hopes for a democratic nation. The Taliban is once more in control and is dismantling our rights daily. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been displaced to countries around the world. Today in Afghanistan women are literally being erased from public life, down to the beheading of female mannequins in shop windows.”
2022-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8954 (2022) · source