GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (HRNW) — Amnesty International and other civil-society organizations are calling on UN member states to renew the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan and maintain dedicated international reporting on the rights of women and girls.
The appeal was issued on September 21 during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The organizations are asking governments to support a full renewal of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and continued reporting and dialogue specifically focused on women and girls.
They are also calling for additional dedicated reporting on the situation of ethnic, religious and linguistically marginalized communities in Afghanistan.
The groups further urged the UN to operationalize the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Afghanistan, established through a Human Rights Council resolution adopted in October 2025.
Amnesty has previously documented concerns about restrictions affecting women and girls under Taliban authorities, including limitations on education, employment, movement and public participation.
The organization has also raised concerns about Afghanistan’s criminal-justice framework, including provisions relating to corporal punishment, the death penalty and fair-trial rights.
The current civil-society appeal argues that continued international monitoring is necessary as restrictions affecting women and marginalized communities remain a major human-rights concern.
The organizations are urging governments participating in the Human Rights Council to preserve dedicated mechanisms capable of documenting violations and engaging with Afghan authorities.
The campaign comes during the Council’s September 7 to October 7 session, when Afghanistan remains on the international human-rights agenda.
Amnesty and its partners say continued reporting and international dialogue can help maintain scrutiny of the human-rights situation and support future accountability efforts.
The appeal places particular emphasis on maintaining international attention to women and girls and communities facing discrimination in Afghanistan.
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Disclaimer
This article is based on a September 21, 2026 joint appeal supported by Amnesty International and other civil-society organizations. Descriptions of Afghanistan’s laws, policies and human-rights conditions are attributed to the cited organizations and their research and are not presented as independent HRNW findings.
