The Taliban's lightening takeover of Afghanistan in August has "dramatically highlighted" the need for the international community to uphold the rights of women and girls in the crisis-hit country, according to Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio.
"The speed at which the crisis in Afghanistan developed in Afghanistan in the summer with the Taliban's return to power has dramatically highlighted the fact that we cannot renegue on our commitment to defending the rights of women and girls," Di Maio stated on Monday.
Di Maio was addressing a session on the role of women in diplomacy held during the 14th Conference of Italy's Ambassadors in Rome.
Between 2001 and 2018, the percentage of girls attending primary school in Italy climbed from virtually zero to over 80%, Di Maio noted.
"We cannot allow ourselves to undermine the progress of the past 20 years, Di Maio said.
Di Maio chaired a side event on female empowerment and the education of women and girl in Afghanistan during the UN General Assembly in New York in September, he recalled.
In a further sign of Italy's commitment and at the foreign ministry's suggestion, a national plan to support the Afghan population has been developed that has a special focus on women and girls, Di Maio said.
