Poland in the UN

Following the request presented jointly by Pakistan as the Coordinator of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues, and Afghanistan, the Human Rights Council convened on 24 August 2021 a special session on the serious human rights concerns and situation in Afghanistan. The request has been supported inter alia by all EU member states.

Ambassador Zbigniew Czech, Permanent Representative of Poland to the UN Office at Geneva presented the national statement in which he expressed deep concerns about the alarming situation in  Afghanistan and its implications for human rights for Afghans and other persons residing in the country. Poland joined also the statement on Women’s and girls’ human rights in Afghanistan prepared by Spain and Australia which condemns all forms of violence against women and girls and underlines that Afghan women and girls deserve to live in safety, security and dignity.

The Council has adopted unanimously a resolution on Strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights in Afghanistan. Due to the lack of consensus among the Council members the resolution does not create a new mechanism, like the Fact Finding Mission or the Special Rapporteur, to monitor the situation in Afghanistan what has been supported by EU countries, including Poland. In the resolution the Council requests the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to present at its 48^th session an oral update on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and to present to the Council, at its 49^th session, a comprehensive written report, focusing on, inter alia, accountability for all perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses in the conflict.