KABUL: The Taliban’s refusal to allow Afghan women to work for the UN is forcing the global organization to make an “appalling choice” about whether it can continue its mission in Afghanistan, it said on Tuesday as it launched an operational review.
The UN revealed last week that it had received notification of the restrictions from the Taliban government.
“Through this ban, the Taliban de facto authorities seek to force the United Nations into having to make an appalling choice between staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people, and standing by the norms and principles we are duty-bound to uphold,” the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Tuesday.
“It should be clear that any negative consequences of this crisis for the Afghan people will be the responsibility of the de facto authorities.”
Taliban officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Arab News.
In response to the notification of the ban, the UN has launched a review of its operations in the country that will continue until May 5. It told 3,000 Afghan staff, men and women, not to go to work while it completes “necessary consultations,” makes required adjustments, and accelerates contingency plans.
The Taliban has imposed a series of restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls since regaining control of the country in 2021, including a ban on education beyond the sixth grade. Women are also barred from working, studying or traveling without a male companion.
The ban on female UN workers is an extension of restrictions announced in December preventing most women from working for nongovernmental organizations, which sparked heavy international criticism.
However, the global outcry against the actions of the Taliban is not proving effective, said Ramzia Sayedi, a women’s rights activist in Kabul.
“The Taliban have been trying to isolate Afghan women … since they took control of the country,” she told Arab News.
“Such condemnation will not solve the issues of Afghan women because the Taliban do not consider themselves as responsible towards women in the country and they are not committed to women’s rights.”