The UAE ambassador to the UN, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, harshly criticized the Islamic Emirate's restrictions on Afghan women and girls.

While speaking at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace, and Security on Thursday, Nusseibeh said that it was "unacceptable" that girls in Afghanistan are still not allowed to attend secondary schools.

“It has been almost 400 days since girls in Afghanistan have not been allowed to attend secondary schools, there are no ifs, and, or buts, the UAE finds this and the many other restrictions in place since the Taliban took over completely unacceptable,” Nusseibeh told the UN Security Council at an annual meeting on women, peace and security.

“This is enabling gender apartheid,” Nusseibeh told the UN Security Council. “We find ourselves still battling the misconceptions of women and girls as victims or survivors, but not agents of change,” UAE's Nusseibeh said.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate's spokesman told a Turkish news outlet in an interview that girls' schools above the sixth grade will open after the issues have been handled and a procedures has been developed.

"A part of the schools, from sixth to twelfth grade, is closed so that their curriculum will be more accurate, the physical safety of women and their dignity and chastity will be preserved more properly, and because of some concerns that families have and because Afghanistan is a country with cultures, traditions, sensitivities, and issues of honor, in order to solve these issues, a proper way is underway, this will also be allowed,” he said.

This comes as the United Nations also said that the denial of education violates the human rights of women & girls and can leave them more exposed to violence, poverty and exploitation.

“Afghanistan: The denial of education violates the human rights of women & girls and can leave them more exposed to violence, poverty and exploitation. All students must be allowed to exercise their right to an education,” United Nations tweeted.

"It has been more than a year since the schools have been closed to us, and I ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen schools for us,” said Sohaila, a student.

This comes as the Group of Friends of Women in Afghanistan, with representatives from 27 countries, expressed deep concern regarding the increasing “erosion of respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban,” including limiting access to education for women and girls.