United Nations said on Wednesday that some “time-critical” programs Afghanistan has temporarily closed and warned that many other activities will also need to be put on hold as restrictions are in place TalibanAdministration led by women support personnel.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, the heads of UN agencies and several aid groups said in a joint statement that women’s “participation in aid delivery is non-negotiable and must continue,” calling on authorities to reverse the decision .
“Banning women from humanitarian work has immediate life-threatening consequences for all Afghans. Already some time-critical programs have had to be temporarily stopped due to shortage of women staff,” read the statement.
“We can no longer ignore the operational constraints we now face as a human community,” it said. “We will endeavor to continue with life-saving, time-critical activities … but we see that many activities will need to be halted as we cannot provide humanitarian assistance in principle without female aid workers.”
UN chief, Security Council call on Taliban to reverse university ban on women
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A ban on female aid workers was announced by the Islamic Taliban-led administration on Saturday. It follows a ban imposed on women attending universities last week. The girls were barred from attending high school in March.
“No country can afford to exclude half of its population from contributing to society,” said the statement signed by the heads of UNICEF, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations High Council. Commissioner for Refugees and Human Rights.
Separately, 12 countries and the European Union jointly called on the Taliban to lift a ban on female aid workers and allow women and girls to return to school.
The statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Britain, the United States and the European Union.
The statement said the ban on female aid workers “endangers millions of Afghans who depend on humanitarian aid for their survival.”
Four major global groups whose humanitarian aid has reached millions of Afghans said on Sunday they were suspending their operations because they are unable to run their programs without female staff.
The UN statement said the ban on female aid workers “comes at a time when more than 28 million people in Afghanistan … need assistance to survive as the country grapples with famine, economic decline, serious battling poverty and the risk of a brutal winter.”
UN agencies and aid groups – including World Vision International, CARE International, Save the Children US, Mercy Corps and Interaction – have made it their mission to provide “free, principled, life-saving assistance to all women, men and children”. Pledged to stand firm in commitment”. Who needs it
The Taliban seized power in August last year. He largely banned girls’ education when he came to power two decades ago, but says his policies have changed. The Taliban-led administration is not recognized internationally.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Eric Beach and Grant McCool)