UN asks Taliban to lift bans on female education, work for aid agencies

Kabul: Top UN diplomat in Afghanistan met Taliban-appointed education minister Mohammad Nadeem in Kabul on Saturday and called for the urgent lifting of the bans on female education and work for aid agencies.

"Afghanistan is entering a new period of crisis. Taliban bans on female education & work for aid agencies will harm all Afghans. UN envoy Potzel Markus called for the urgent lifting of the bans in a meeting today with de facto authorities' Minister Higher Education, Moh. Nadeem," United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a tweet. The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 and imposed policies severely restricting basic rights--particularly those of women and girls, according to Human Rights Watch.

Last month, the Taliban imposed a restriction on female higher education and a ban on women from working in humanitarian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Human rights experts and members of the international community described these measures as a major blow to vulnerable communities, women, children, and the entire country.

In the last week of December, the members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) said they are deeply alarmed by reports that the Taliban have suspended access to universities for women and girls.

They called on the Taliban to swiftly reverse these policies and practices, which represent an increasing erosion of the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Additionally, the UNSC members expressed profound concern over the ban on female employees of NGOs and international organizations from going to work. They said that this move would significantly and immediately impact humanitarian operations in the country, including those of the UN, and the delivery of aid and health work.

Moreover, the members pointed out that these restrictions contradict the commitments made by the Taliban to the Afghan people as well as the expectations of the international community.

Earlier this week, TOLOnews reported that the UN Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting next week to discuss the Taliban's decision to ban women from working in NGOs in Afghanistan.

Japan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have requested a closed-door meeting of the UNSC on January 13 to discuss decisions announced by the Taliban, the UAE mission to the UN said in a statement on Twitter.