UNITED NATIONS THIRD COMMITTEE: INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN
Statement by Ms. Clare Skinner, First Secretary, Australian Mission to the United Nations
30 October 2025
Thank you Chair.
Australia thanks the Special Rapporteur for his report and ongoing efforts to highlight the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan. This includes egregious human rights abuses targeting women and girls – for which the Taliban must be held to account.
We are deeply concerned that there has been no progress towards fulfilment of Afghanistan’s international obligations. Instead, the trend is the reverse.
Australia is committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan and taking strong action to address the Taliban’s pervasive disregard for human rights.
We have provided over $260 million in humanitarian assistance since 2021, with a strong focus on women and girls.
We are working with Canada, Germany and the Netherlands to hold Afghanistan to account under CEDAW.
And we are proposing to implement an autonomous sanctions framework to further address the situation in Afghanistan, complementing our wider efforts.
Special Rapporteur, a meaningful response must be rooted in the lived experiences of all Afghans, including women and girls. It must confront intersecting harms and restore human rights, dignity, and access to essential services.
Australia asks: what more can States do to ensure the human rights of Afghan people and hold the Taliban to account?
Thank you.