The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has reacted against the Taliban’s latest bans on women’s education and work for None-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), calling on the group to reopen schools for girls and “swiftly reverse these policies and practices” which erode human rights.
Members of the Security Council expressed concern over the latest Taliban restrictions on women’s rights to education and the right to work. “These restrictions contradict the commitments made by the Taliban to the Afghan people, as well as the expectations of the international community,” the UNSC statement noted.
The statement was issued by the UNSC’s President Ruchira Kamboj on Tuesday, December 27.
The Taliban regime indefinitely banned higher education for female students on Tuesday, December 20. Higher education is “suspended” for female students until further notice, the group’s Ministry of Higher Education said in an official letter sent to state and private unviersities.
Sharing their profound concerns over the Taliban’s decision to ban women from working for NGOs, the UNSC underscored that it would have a “significant and immediate impact” on humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
In an official letter, the Taliban Ministry of Economy banned all women from working for national and international NGOs on Saturday, December 24.
The UNSC members reiterated their full support to the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, members of the Council emphasized the importance of Otunbayeva’s mandate in monitoring and reporting on the situation in Afghanistan, including issues of Taliban bans on women’s rights.
They also underscored the importance of her engagement with all Afghan stakeholders, including the Taliban, and keeping the UNSC informed on the progress.
