‘The Taliban have stripped girls of the rights they once had’: Gordon Brown |

It has now been over 1,000 days since the Taliban, the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, banned education for girls beyond sixth grade, a figure described by the Executive Director of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, as “a blatant violation of their right to education” resulting in “dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health”.

To raise awareness and support Afghan Girls, Education Cannot Wait, the global fund for education in emergencies and crises, has launched a new phase of its Afghan Girls Voices campaign, featuring inspiring works from some of the world’s leading artists.

Many prominent voices are supporting the campaign, including the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, and former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who told Conor Lennon from UN News that the thousand day milestone was a “day of shame”.