Yesterday, the Afghan Ministry of Economy ordered all non-governmental organizations to stop working with women, or their licenses would be suspended.
Senior officials from the United Nations and dozens of non-governmental organizations working in Afghanistan are meeting today to discuss the way forward after the Taliban ordered all NGOs to stop working with women, AFP reported.
Yesterday, Saturday, the Afghan Ministry of Economy ordered all non-governmental organizations to stop working with womenbecause otherwise their license will be suspended.
It was not specified whether the directive also applies to foreign female staff of NGOs.
In the letter addressed to local and international non-governmental organizations, the ministry explains that it took this decision after receiving “serious complaints” that women working in these NGOs do not respect the obligation to wear the “Islamic hijab”.
In Afghanistan, women are required to cover their face and entire body.
“A meeting of the country’s humanitarian team (HCT) is scheduled to take place today to consult and discuss how to approach this issue,” Tapiwa Goma, information officer for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP. United States.
The HCT consists of senior UN officials and representatives of dozens of Afghan and international NGOs who coordinate the distribution of aid across the country.
The meeting will discuss whether it is appropriate to suspend all relief work following the Taliban’s latest directive, non-governmental organization officials said.
“The UN will seek to meet Taliban leaders to obtain clarification on the order,” the United Nations said in a statement, while condemning the order.
The UN reminds the Afghan authorities that, by excluding women “systematically from all aspects of public and political life”, they are “setting the country back, jeopardizing efforts to establish peace and significant stability in the country”.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned yesterday, Saturday, of the “catastrophic” consequences of such a measure, saying he is “very concerned” about the consequences it will have on the distribution by women of “vital humanitarian aid for millions of Afghans.”
Dozens of organizations work in remote regions of Afghanistan and many of their workers are women. Many of these organizations have warned that a ban on female staff would hinder their work.
The ban was announced at a time when millions of Afghans depend on humanitarian aid provided by international donors through an extensive network of non-governmental organizations.
According to the UN and aid agencies, more than half of the country’s 38 million people are in need of humanitarian aid during the harsh winter.
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