According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Taliban’s “reprehensible” decision to forbid Afghan women from working for the UN poses a threat to Afghans who are dependent on humanitarian supplies.
He called on the Taliban to put Afghans first and “reverse this decision.” Taking to his official Twitter handle, Blinken stated, “Disturbed by another reprehensible Taliban decision banning Afghan women from working with the @UN. This will threaten vulnerable Afghans who depend on humanitarian assistance. We urge the Taliban to put Afghans first and reverse this decision.”
Blinken tweeted in response to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan’s statement released on 5 April regarding the Taliban’s decision to prohibit Afghan woman from woking with the UN.
“The UN has been notified by the de facto authorities that, with immediate effect, no Afghan woman is permitted to work for the UN in Afghanistan, and that this measure will be actively enforced. This decision extends the directive previously announced on 24 December 2022, banning Afghan women working for national and international non-governmental organizations,” the UNAMA staement said.
As per the statement, the UN Secretary-General’Special Representative for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva is engaging with the Taliban to convey the UN’s protest and to seek an immediate reversal of the order.
“In the history of the United Nations, no other regime has ever tried to ban women from working for the Organization just because they are women. This decision represents an assault against women, the fundamental principles of the UN, and on international law,” Otunbayeva said.