UN General Assembly
2021

Those three vulnerabilities — health, climate and security — are a threat to human rights and their universality. For Belgium, peace, security and development are not possible without a profound respect for human rights. In every crisis and in every war, women and girls suffer first and suffer most. We are concerned about the appointment of a Taliban Government that does not reflect the political, religious and ethnic diversity of Afghanistan. Afghan women and girls are already bearing the brunt of that attitude. They are being tear-gassed, beaten, dismissed and locked up at home. We will continue to monitor their rights. They must be able to go to school, to work and to live their lives in freedom. Societies where women are respected and equally represented, where they thrive and can become teachers, society leaders or chief executive officers, are stronger and more stable societies.