That European Union (EU), United StatesAustralia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands and United Kingdom They asked the Taliban on Thursday to reverse the decision ban women work in NGOs, as it “endangers” “millions” of Afghans who depend on the humanitarian work of these organizations.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of these countries and the EU high representative for foreign affairs Joseph Borrellsaid they were “deeply concerned” about the “reckless and dangerous” order by the Taliban to ban NGO workers from work (NGO) national and international.
Marwa, a student, at her home in Kabul. She was just a few months away from becoming the first woman in her family to go to college. Photo: AFP
“It endangers the survival of millions Afghans who are in need of humanitarian aid. We call on the Taliban to urgently reverse this decision,” they stressed.
Ministers considered that women are “absolutely basic” for humanitarian and basic needs operations.
“Unless they are involved in providing assistance Afghanistan, NGOs will not be able to reach the most vulnerable people in the country to provide them with food, medicine, winter gear and other materials and services they need to survive,” they stressed.
According to them, this would also affect the humanitarian aid of international organizations, as they fall back on the non-governmental organization to deliver such materials and services.
“The Taliban continue to show contempt for the rights, freedoms and well-being of the Afghan peopleespecially by women and girls, and a lack of interest in maintaining normal relations with the international community,” they said.
Thus, these countries and the EU said they supported the Afghan people’s demands for Girls and women back to work, school and university, and that women continue to play “essential roles” in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and basic needs.
“We call on the Taliban to respect the political, economic, social and cultural rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,” they said.
They said they were in “close contact” with him United Nationswho “urge, also on behalf of all international donors, that the Taliban revoke this decision immediately”.
“This would prevent any disruption and allow the continuation of all humanitarian operations by international and national NGOs,” they concluded.
That U.N. already announced this Thursday that it had temporarily suspended several aid programs Afghanistan due to the shortage of female staff after the Taliban vetoed women from working in NGOs, an order that has already led to several NGOs leaving the country in protest.