UN Special Procedures and Afghan Advocacy: Gender Persecution in Afghanistan Accountability Working Group Training

The Gender Persecution in Afghanistan Accountability Working Group (GPWG) presented a one-hour training session on the United Nations Special Procedures today. They emphasized the importance of UN “Special Procedures,” particularly in the context of Afghanistan. The webinar focused on specific UN mandates and their impacts on Afghans. This is a particularly significant time for the Afghan people. Gehad Madi, the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, was referenced in addressing the forced returns of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan. Other mandates were also highlighted in the session, including those of Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur for the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association; Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur for the Right to Education; and Rosemary Kayess, Special Rapporteur for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Human Rights Defenders were given a spotlight too, e.g., the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, whose interventions include preventing the refoulement of at-risk HRDs. In total, as noted, there are approximately 60 Special Procedures, comprising 46 thematic and 14 country mandates. Afghanistan has a recurring agenda item across thematic mandates.

Mandates being domain-specific can intersect with other ones. In this, submission to Special Procedures can be joint across mandates, e.g., a human rights defender who is also a migrant woman with a disability. Joint communications remain a standard practice.

Civil society can help Special Procedures with letter submissions. These provide the basis for international pressure on governments and other actors. These can produce formal UN communications. If a letter is submitted, then precise facts, documented harm, and requested action will be necessary. Privacy concerns can be flagged. Communications remain confidential up to 60 days before publication in the Special Procedures database. You can submit to an online portal (spsubmission.ohchr.org), email a relevant mandate holder, or post to the OHCHR in Geneva. Special Procedures then convert credible submissions into allegation letters, urgent appeals, or letters concerning draft laws and policies.

An example provided on the webinar was a Joint UN statement on forced returns. UN experts condemned mass forced returns of Afghan nationals and warned states against refoulement on July 18, 2025. Several mandates were jointly issued. Press statements like this become advocacy tools. Domestic lobbying can follow.

The Human Rights Council meets three times per year. HRC 60 ran from September 8 to October 8. Afghanistan fit thematically and under country discussions. NGOs can gain access to the HRC through ECOSOC's consultative status. If they do not have this, then they can partner with an ECOSOC-accredited NGO to become accredited via the NGO. Under session guidelines, video statements are permitted. The speaker formats can vary. Some include interactive dialogues with a Rapporteur or with the High Commissioner; general debates are also permitted. Either format allows brief NGO statements. The speaking time permitted is approximately 90 seconds. There are limited slots available on a first-come, first-served registration basis via the OHCHR online system.

Outside of these core moments of voicing issues, side events are hosted within the UN, which can be booked via the HRC NGO channel to spotlight niche issues and invite delegations. Bilateral meetings with mandate holders on the margins are common. Some issues trigger pushback, e.g., select LGBTI topics.

For the issues of theocrats, including the Taliban, there are direct and indirect pressure tracks. Direct tracks include Special Procedures writing to de facto authorities. Indirect tracks include mobilization of third-country governments to condition engagement and to protect Afghan refugees, e.g., from refoulement.

UNAMA, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, was also mentioned during the webinar. It was created in 2002 by UN Security Council Resolution 1401. Unlike Special Procedures experts, who are independent and appointed by the HRC, UNAMA is a political mission of the UN Secretariat mandated by the Security Council. It monitors and reports on human rights in Afghanistan, and its advocacy is informed by its findings.

Other areas of concern and focus included the sale and sexual exploitation of children, armed conflict, and the rights of the child. These are addressed through Special Procedures such as the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, as well as related UN mechanisms like the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.