The Joint Appeal to OSCE Chairmanship from WWG|CSP On the New Risks, Threats and Disasters to the Human Dimension of the OSCE from Afghanistan
Окт 11.2021Dear Ms Ann Linde Chairwoman of OSCE
Ms Helga Schmid, Secretary General of OSCE
Ms Katya Andrusz, Spokesperson OSCE Office for democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Heads of the OSCE participating States,
We, Members of the Working Group on Women and Gender Realities in the OSCE Region under the Civic Solidarity Platform, are alarmed by the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where civilians continue to suffer from cruel persecution and disproportionate punishments, where girls, women, national minorities and human rights defenders are at risk.
The OSCE's Helsinki Final Act is a political commitment of the heads of Governments of all 57 signatory States to build security and cooperation in Europe on the basis of its provisions.
Taking into consideration the systemic conflicts and problems related to the Third Basket of the Human Dimension: human rights, democracy, promotion of gender equality and justice for peaceful settlement of all conflicts in the Central Asian countries, we are concerned about the security issues for the citizens of the Central Asian region, in which there are unregulated, unresolved border problems. As you all know, the invasion and armed conflict in the border areas of the Batken region in Kyrgyzstan initiated by Tajikistan claimed the lives of civilians, including children[ii], so far the perpetrators have not been found and punished.
You are also informed of the fact that in recent years the situation with the rights of girls and women has worsened due to the growth of religious fundamentalism in all Central Asian countries. The Taliban's rise to power in Afghanistan has worsened the situation with the rights of girls and women, deprived them of the right to education, participation in public and political life, and holding public positions in Afghanistan. The ongoing processes and changes in Afghanistan are a threat to the security of citizens of the Central Asian region, and can cause a large-scale humanitarian crisis in the OSCE region as well.
The latest news from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is sounding the alarm: Over 18 million people rely on humanitarian aid to survive.
Some 664,000 people have been displaced by the latest violence since January, bringing the total number of internally displaced people to more than 3.5 million.