NEW YORK - I am very saddened by the news that was widely reported this morning that the Taliban Minister of Higher Education has banned women from attending universities. This is detrimental for women but also for Afghanistan more widely.  

As I said earlier, this decision, if true, is devastating. 

I briefed the Council this morning on a number of human rights concerns that we have expressed to the Taliban de facto authorities. Ever since the Taliban banned girls’ secondary education in March of this year the Council has been unanimous in condemning this decision. So many young women lost the whole academic year and now another harsh decision has been taken to ban university education. I regret that the Taliban do not seem to think about the future of Afghanistan and how women can contribute to the economy, education, and culture.  

We are seeking further information and clarifications about this decision and will say more when we have more information.