The US on Wednesday appointed an envoy to defend the rights of Afghan women, signaling a key priority as the Taliban ratchet up restrictions.
VOICE warmly welcomes the appointment of Rina Amiri as the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights.
This appointment, which we called for in our policy brief of December 10th, helps to fulfill Secretary Blinken‘s commitment to Congress and the American people to have a US representative working with and on behalf of Afghan women and girls at this critical juncture.
We call on the government to ensure that Ms. Amiri's office is fully funded and staffed. We also call on the Senate to expeditiously confirm Geeta Rao Gupta, the nominee for US Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues. With these two well-qualified and well-respected women in place, along with Stephenie Foster as the new Senior Advisor for Women and Girls Issues, the US Government will have a strong team to advocate with and on behalf of Afghan women and girls and set precedents for the rights of women and girls everywhere. We look forward to supporting these women in their roles.