Given that women’s rights are being most severely violated in Afghanistan, it was decided by Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands to hold Afghanistan and the de facto Taliban government accountable for violations of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

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Since the Taliban’s seizing of power, the women and girls of Afghanistan have been subjected to the most severe violations of their human rights. Various decrees, ordinances and other measures of the de facto Taliban government have in a grave and severe manner banned women and girls from public life and are subjecting them to systematic, gender-based discrimination. Afghan women and girls are being socially, politically, economically and legally excluded from social life, thereby robbing them of their dignity.

We have repeatedly and urgently called on Afghanistan and the de facto Taliban government to meet all of Afghanistan’s obligations under international law and to lift all legal restrictions on women and girls. In particular, women and girls must no longer be denied the right to education. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved – on the contrary, it is growing even worse, in a most alarming way.

Afghanistan is a State Party to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Despite the Taliban’s seizing of power, Afghanistan as a state remains legally bound by CEDAW, and is responsible under international law for numerous violations of obligations under the Convention. This applies without prejudice to the fact that the Federal Government does not politically consider the de facto Taliban government to be the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

CEDAW is the most important international instrument for protecting women’s human rights. CEDAW was the first established comprehensive international legal instrument that prohibits every form of discrimination against women in all areas of life and that commits States Parties to a variety of measures to ensure – legally and factually – equal participation by women in all aspects of society.

Together with Australia, Canada and the Netherlands, Germany has decided to hold Afghanistan and the de facto Taliban government responsible for violations of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Referring to the dispute resolution mechanism of the Convention, we have jointly called on Afghanistan to meet its obligations under the Convention.

The initiative was announced on 25 September 2024, in the margins of the UN General Assembly. The initiative is supported by Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Denmark*, Finland, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand*, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom*.

^{* Have joined the initiative as political supporters after the declaration was published on 26 September 2024.}