Women’s rights continue to decline in Afghanistan. The Taliban have extended to Afghan women employed by the UN, “essential” for the distribution of humanitarian aid, the ban on working throughout the country, the UN spokesman announced on Tuesday, denouncing a decision ” unacceptable and frankly inconceivable”.
The United Nations mission in the country (Manua) had indicated earlier in the day that the Afghan UN employees, so far spared from this type of restrictive measures, had been prevented from working in the province of Nangarhar, in eastern Afghanistan.
“Inconceivable”
“Manua has heard of an order from the de facto authorities that prohibits national UN female employees from working” and “we were told through different channels that the ban applies to the whole country”, said spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Stéphane Dujarric to the press. Noting that no written orders had been received at this stage, he said UN officials were due to meet authorities in Kabul on Wednesday to try to get “clarity”.
“For the Secretary General [Antonio Guterres] such a ban would be unacceptable and frankly inconceivable”, he added, denouncing the will to “undermine the capacities of humanitarian organizations to help those who need it most”.
Concerns expressed upstream
On December 24, 2022, the Afghan Ministry of Economy announced that the 1,260 NGOs operating in the country were now prohibited from working with Afghan women, due to “serious complaints” about non-compliance with the wearing of the hijab, which must fully cover the body and face. The UN, however, was not involved.
In a speech to the United Nations Security Council on March 8, International Women’s Day, the head of Manua, Roza Otunbayeva, nevertheless expressed her concerns. “We are also concerned that national female staff working for the United Nations will also be banned,” she said.