Anne Marie Goetz, PhD, a Clinical Professor at the NYU Center for Global Affairs, touches on the requisite changes in Taliban’s racial and gender system for it to hold a spot in the UN in her published piece “Could the Taliban Join the UN? They’ll Need to End Their ‘Gender Apartheid’ System” that takes a reflective look at the assessment led by Feridun Sinirlioglu.
“A new independent analysis of how the United Nations should deal with the wide-ranging challenges plaguing Afghanistan is likely to be debated in the Security Council in early December. Although the Taliban are unequivocal in their contempt for human rights standards, particularly gender equality, they want a seat at the UN. They also want UN sanctions to be lifted and foreign exchange reserves unfrozen.
What is standing in their way? The Taliban’s harsh treatment of women and girls.”
The article gives critical insights on Taliban's “gender apartheid” that encapsulates the systematic subjugation of women as an intrinsic function of the state. It pinpoints how the introduction of a clause in the report may allow the Taliban to undertake 'good faith measures' without an explicit demand for the repudiation of misogynistic edicts. This opens the door for symbolic gestures without substantial progress.
Anne Marie Goetz's detailed publication leads to thought-provoking messages. The nonfulfillment of consistently opposing the Taliban's treatment of women risks perpetuating their regressive practices despite the aid donors and UN’s influence for change.
Read the full article here.