UN condemns reported ban on women working for NGOs and International Organizations

The United Nations is profoundly concerned by reports that the Taliban de facto authorities today issued an order barring all female employees of national and international organizations from going to work with immediate effect. Any such order would violate the most fundamental rights of women, as well as be a clear breach of humanitarian principles.

The UN will seek to meet with the Taliban leadership to obtain clarity on the reported order. Women must be enabled to play a critical role in all aspects of life, including the humanitarian response. Their participation must be both respected and safeguarded. This latest decision will only further hurt those most vulnerable, especially women and girls.

The UN in Afghanistan and its partners condemn the reported order and remind the de facto authorities that taking away the free will of women to choose their own fate, disempowering and excluding them systematically from all aspects of public and political life takes the country backward, jeopardizing efforts for any meaningful peace or stability in the country.

For further information, please contact: Tapiwa Gomo, Public Information Officer, OCHA Afghanistan, gomo@un.org, Mobile: +93 79 600 0152. www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int