UN to review presence in Afghanistan after Taliban's latest ban
The United Nations (UN) says it is reviewing its presence in Afghanistan, warning the Taliban about any negative consequences of its latest decision to ban Afghan women from working with the organization.
The Taliban said last week that women employed by the UN mission could no longer report for work. They did not further comment on the ban.
The UN described the measure as an extension of Taliban's restrictions imposed in December last year to ban Afghan women from working for non-governmental national and international organizations.
It said in a statement on Tuesday that the UN head of mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, had “initiated an operational review period” that would last until May 5.
During this time, the world body will “conduct the necessary consultations, make required operational adjustments, and accelerate contingency planning for all possible outcomes,” it said.
The statement said the Taliban were trying to force the UN to make an “appalling choice” between helping Afghans and standing by the norms and principles it is duty-bound to uphold.
“It should be clear that any negative consequences of this crisis for the Afghan people will be the responsibility of the de facto authorities,” it warned.
Aid agencies have been providing food, education, and health care support to Afghans following the Taliban takeover.
But distribution has been severely impacted by the Taliban edict banning women from working at NGOs — and, now, also at the UN.
After the ban, at least half a dozen major foreign aid groups temporarily suspended their operations in Afghanistan.
The ban on female workers, the UN said, is “the latest in a series of discriminatory measures implemented by the Taliban de facto authorities with the goal of severely restricting women and girls’ participation in most areas of public and daily life in Afghanistan.”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also condemned the move, describing it as “utterly despicable.”
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