GENEVA: UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Tuesday said Afghanistan’s governing Taliban authorities must reverse their ban on Afghan women working for NGOs.
“I am deeply alarmed at the recent announcement by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan that non-governmental organisations’ licences will be revoked if they continue to employ Afghan women. This is absolutely the wrong path being taken,” Turk said in a statement.
On Thursday, the Taliban’s economy ministry wrote to ACBAR, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development which brings together around 200 NGOs, telling them to comply with a decree issued two years ago which bars them from employing Afghan women.
“A follow-up circular has been issued to stop the work of female employees in domestic and foreign non-governmental institutions. In case of non-cooperation, all activities of the offending institution will be suspended and the operation licence they had received from this ministry will be cancelled,” it said.
On Sunday, ACBAR met with the ministry and said afterwards that female workers in health and education would be exempt and those working online could continue as normal.
Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2025
