The United Kingdom Mission in Geneva published a statement on 21 September 2026 prepared for the interactive dialogue on Afghanistan at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. The mission said the statement was not delivered due to time constraints.

In the text, the UK thanked the Special Rapporteur for his report and said that five years after the Taliban's return to power it remained deeply concerned by the continued deterioration of human rights in Afghanistan. It described systematic restrictions on women and girls as depriving them of the freedom to learn, work, move freely and participate fully in society, and said the Taliban's policies would have profound and long-lasting consequences for children. The UK expressed support for the Special Rapporteur's work on children's rights.

The statement said Afghanistan faced a severe humanitarian crisis, with more than twenty-two million people requiring humanitarian assistance as of that date. It said food insecurity and malnutrition remained widespread, with women and girls among those most acutely affected, and asked what more the international community could do to address the worsening situation while protecting the rights of all Afghans, particularly women, girls and children.