UN official urges Islamic Emirate to lift ban on female staff at NGOs

KABUL (TOLOnews): The UN deputy humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan, Fran Equiza, in a meeting with Acting Minister of Public Health Qalandar Ibad called for “the Taliban ban on women working for NGOs and international NGOs to be lifted in its entirety.”
“The ban will impact millions of the most vulnerable Afghans,” the UN official said.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in a phone call reaffirmed the importance of guaranteeing women’s rights and their full and equal participation in all aspects of life, a statement of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said.
“They also reiterated their support for security, stability and peace in Afghanistan and the importance of international engagement for building a more sustainable future for the Afghan people,” the statement read.
The decision to ban women’s access to work and education has triggered widespread reactions.
“The Taliban are trying to erase women from society in Afghanistan. Banning women from working for NGOs will prevent millions of Afghans from accessing life-saving aid and supplies,” James Cleverly, the UK foreign minister said on Twitter. “This will impact everyone. The Taliban must urgently reverse this decision.”
Analysts said that such decisions can affect Afghanistan’s relations with the world.
“The ministries of higher education, economy and education should provide jobs to women so that we will not be isolated from the world. We should consider the aid being provided by the international community,” said Amanullah Hotaki, a political analyst.
“We should build better relations in every sector including organizations so that these restrictions will not cause distance between Afghanistan and the world,” said Najibullah Jamay.