Director-General draws the attention of President Karzai to the importance of respecting equality between men and women

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has expressed grave concern over the possible entry into force of legislation adopted by Parliament on the personal status of the Shiite community in Afghanistan. Several articles of the new law undermine the right to education, the principle of gender equality, and the rights of the child, all of which UNESCO upholds.

UNESCO’s Constitution promotes universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms “without distinction of race, sex, language or religion.” Similarly, the Constitution calls for education for all “without regard to race, sex or any distinctions, economic or social.”

UNESCO prioritizes gender equality through an action plan which ensures that the rights and specific needs of women are taken into consideration in all of the Organization’s programmes; in particular, unrestricted access to education by girls and women is a precondition to social and economic development, and to better health and living conditions in all societies.

In a letter sent by the Director-General to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan today, M. Matsuura welcomed the considerable progress achieved by the Afghan government in numerous areas including education, recognized as a right in Articles 43 and 44 of the country’s Constitution. The Director-General furthermore cited UNESCO’s cooperation with Afghanistan in making this right a reality, and the results obtained, in particular through extra-budgetary funding.

In view of progress achieved, the Director-General voiced concern over the draft legislation which, he felt, contains provisions that run counter to several principles recognized by the United Nations and UNESCO, namely the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Director-General is requesting President Karzai of Afghanistan to prevent the entry into force of this draft law.

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• Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
• Source:Press Release No.2009-33
• 17-04-2009