THE United Nations security council has unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to swiftly reverse their crackdown on women.

The council also called on the Taliban to do more to combat militant groups inside Afghanistan that Pakistan accuses of carrying out cross-border attacks.

Chinese UN ambassador Fu Cong, whose country sponsored the resolution, said on Monday that the hope was that the Afghan government would “take more proactive measures to protect human rights, especially the rights of women, and project an image of openness, inclusivity and responsibility.”

The resolution extends the UN political mission in Afghanistan until this time next year, while authorising it to support humanitarian aid deliveries “without discrimination” and to promote national and local governance “without any discrimination based on sex, religion or ethnicity, with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women, minorities, youth and persons with disabilities.”

Adoption of the resolution follows the arrest of at least 30 women in the western city of Herat this month for allegedly violating the Taliban’s repressive dress code. A protest sparked by the arrests was violently dispersed by Taliban police, who reportedly shot one person dead and injured several others.

The Taliban has run Afghanistan since 2021, imposing a strict interpretation of Islamic law including draconian restrictions on women and girls, such as banning girls’ education beyond primary school.

The resolution authorises the UN mission in Afghanistan to facilitate talks between the Taliban and other countries in the region and the wider international community.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, which the Taliban denies. Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between the two countries since February, when Afghanistan attacked Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan.

Pakistani UN ambassador Asim Ahmad said the “resolution expresses the council’s serious concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, which continue to constitute a threat to international peace and security.”