Human rights, terrorism, immigration … The subjects will be varied on August 24, as two important international meetings are being organized on the situation in Afghanistan.
Indeed, a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is due to take place, just like a virtual meeting of the G7. In the first case, foreign leaders are expected to discuss their concerns about the potential human rights abuses of Afghan civilians as the Taliban take over the country.
If they ensure that they come to power without wanting to punish government employees, opponents, the press, LGBT + communities or even women, observers are very suspicious. This is particularly the case of Jean-Yves Le Drian, who assured in the JDD on August 22 that “soothing speeches do not deceive anyone”. And for good reason, when they took power for the first time in 1996, Sharia law was applied without mercy, public executions took place in crowded stadiums and women no longer had any rights.
But this question will not be the only one that will agitate world leaders on August 24. As evacuations of Western nationals and refugees continue in Kabul, G7 members will address a wider range of issues. “It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and help the Afghan people protect the progress of the past twenty years,” Boris Johnson wrote ahead of the summit on Twitter.
I will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for urgent talks on the situation in Afghanistan. It is vital that the international community works together to ensure safe evacuations, prevent a humanitarian crisis and support the Afghan people to secure the gains of the last 20 years.
– Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 22, 2021
Immigration and security on the mat
Avoiding a humanitarian crisis and protecting civilians will be two of the topics discussed, but Western governments have other concerns as well. Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron notably mentioned the security situation, assuring that it was not tenable to let Afghanistan once again become a land of welcome for Islamist terrorists. Jean-Yves Le Drian had notably explained that without “an official break with al-Qaida”, among others, the Taliban would become the masters of a pariah state.
The controversial issue of immigration should also be raised. Indeed, a large number of countries continue to welcome asylum seekers while evacuations continue, but the fear of a mass exodus to Europe has been raised by several heads of state. This is particularly the case of Emmanuel Macron, who considered it necessary to “protect himself against irregular migratory flows” after the Taliban came to power. A European initiative had been announced, and could therefore be discussed at the summit on August 24.
