The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to vote on Thursday to condemn a ban on Afghan women working for the UN in Afghanistan and call upon the Taliban administration to “swiftly reverse” its crackdown on the rights of women and girls.
The resolution to be voted on — drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan and seen by Reuters — describes the ban as “unprecedented in the history of the United Nations” and asserts “the indispensable role of women in Afghan society”.
Diplomats said it is expected to be adopted.
A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain or France to pass.
The draft resolution says the ban on Afghan women working for the UN “undermines human rights and humanitarian principles.”
Earlier this month, the Taliban began enforcing the ban on Afghan women working for the UN after stopping most women working for humanitarian aid groups in December.
Since toppling the Western-backed government in 2021, they have also tightened controls on women’s access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls’ high schools.
The Taliban say they respect women’s rights in accordance with their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Taliban officials said decisions on female aid workers are an “internal issue.”
The draft Security Council resolution demands that all parties allow full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access “regardless of gender” and “stresses the urgent need to continue addressing the dire economic and humanitarian situation.”
It also “recognises the need to help address the substantial challenges facing Afghanistan’s economy, including through efforts to enable the use of assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank for the benefit of the Afghan people”.
The US froze billions of the bank’s reserves held in America and later transferred half of the money to a trust fund in Switzerland overseen by the US, Swiss and Afghan trustees.
The draft resolution also stresses “the critical importance” of the UN’s continued presence across Afghanistan.