85. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps being taken by the Government to express its dissatisfaction with the way in which women and girls are being treated in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement on the matter, [66337/26]

In accordance with the commitment in "Securing Ireland's Future", Ireland continues to play an active role in seeking to maintain EU and international attention on the appalling human rights and humanitarian situation within Afghanistan and, in particular, the deplorable restrictions imposed by the Taliban on Afghan women and girls.

In line with this commitment, I hosted an event on 21 September during UN High Level Week in collaboration with the United Nations and the Malala Fund which focused on the systematic erosion of the rights of women and girls by the Taliban and how the international community can continue to support the Afghan people. UN Special Representative for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, also participated in the event.

As the current EU Presidency, Ireland has actively sought to keep the attention of international partners focused on all aspects of the situation in Afghanistan, including the ongoing humanitarian and climate crises as well as the deplorable human rights situation. Our Permanent Representation in Brussels organised a successful seminar on 9 September which addressed the impact of climate change on Afghanistan and the wider Central Asia region and which was attended by senior UN officials. Senior officials from my Department have also met recently with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett and the outgoing EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Gilles Bertrand.

Along with other EU Partners, Ireland played a lead role in pressing for the establishment of an Independent Investigative Mechanism on Afghanistan at the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council. We will continue working with UN Special Rapporteur Bennett to ensure that this new mechanism is established and made operational as quickly as possible in order to try and help deliver much needed accountability to the people of Afghanistan.

Afghan women and girls are also disproportionately impacted by the escalating humanitarian crisis. Since January 2020, Ireland has provided over €20 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan through the Irish Aid programme. So far, in 2026, Ireland has provided €3 million to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, €1.5 million to support the UNHCR Afghanistan Situation Response, including support to Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan, and a further €400,000 to Concern Worldwide to support its response in Afghanistan.