Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mette Knudsen, on Thursday, March 17, met university representatives in Kabul and urged equal access to education for boys and girls as a "fundamental need" for a stable and economically prosperous Afghanistan.

"Visiting private & state Univ's today in Kabul, UNAMA Dep. Head @Metknu met students, academics and managers urging equal access to education for boys & girls as a fundamental need for a stable and economically prosperous Afghanistan," UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) News tweeted.

Earlier, several members of the Movement of Change for Afghanistan Party (MoCAP) held a protest in Kabul city calling for women's access to education and work. They also urged the Taliban to establish a commission for addressing the challenges faced by the women in the country, according to TOLO news.

The situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban's return to power in August last year. Although fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue unabated.

The Taliban have committed and continue to commit human rights violations including extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary detentions, a massive rollback of the rights of women and girls, censorship of and attacks against the media.

Moreover, people in Afghanistan are also facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis which is being driven by decisions and positions taken by the international community, especially the US, that have blocked Afghanistan from aid funding and access to the global financial system.