Vol. 526 No. 6
61 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the proposals he has for drawing attention to the breaches of human rights directed in particular against women by the Government of Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27475/00]
The Government is deeply concerned at the deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan. We are particularly concerned about the tremendous suffering which the conflict has inflicted on the Afghan people. The conflict, which has been going on in various forms since 1979, has resulted in innumerable deaths and casualties, as well as the displacement of millions of people and the ruin of the social and economic fabric of the country. The advent to power of the Taliban in 1996 has been accompanied by the subjection of women to extreme forms of psychological and physical repression. Women have been systematically and deliberately excluded from health care and education, employment and freedom of movement. These restrictions have severely hampered the ability of UN agencies and NGOs to assist women and children and to implement health and education programmes. Recent reports that the Taliban has banned women from working with UN agencies and NGOs are particularly worrying.
The Government condemns the discrimination against women practised by the Taliban. Through the United Nations, and together with our EU partners, we will continue to make every effort to promote dialogue between the parties in Afghanistan with a view to restoring peace to the country. As a part of this we would expect human rights and the international rule of law to be respected. The concerns of the EU about the continuing grave violations of human rights in Afghanistan, including those of women, were made known at the UN Commission on Human Rights earlier this year. These concerns are again being expressed at the current session of the UN General Assembly in New York, with the full support of Ireland. A chair's consensus text condemning human rights violations against women in Afghanistan was adopted in the UN Third Committee recently and the matter will shortly be addressed further by a UN General Assembly resolution.
Ireland and our EU partners have repeatedly called on the Taliban and other Afghan factions to respect basic human rights and to prevent gender discrimination. The Union's Common Position on Afghanistan was adopted earlier this year and urges all Afghan factions to end discriminatory policies and to protect and promote the equal rights and dignity of men and women. The European Parliament has also recently passed a resolution on Afghanistan, which I welcome. The EU takes every appropriate opportunity to raise our concerns about the situation in Afghanistan, including with neighbouring countries, due to the destabilising effects on the region.
Ireland and our EU partners have agreed to support aid programmes in Afghanistan which address human rights issues, including discrimination against women. Clearly, however, the full effectiveness of these can only be realised in conditions of some peace and stability. The EU is currently the main provider of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. Ireland, in recent years, has provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan through international agencies and NGOs and our contribution this year amounted to £400,000. I wish to assure the House that the Government and the international community will continue to make every effort to ameliorate the humanitarian and human rights situation in the country, in particular in relation to discrimination against women.
