The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote on Thursday on a resolution condemning the recent ban imposed by the Taliban on women working for the UN in Afghanistan.
According to Reuters, the resolution to be voted on- drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan, calls on the Taliban administration to reverse its crackdown on the rights of women and girls in the country.
The draft resolution emphasises the vital role of women in Afghanistan’s society and describes the prohibition of their work for the United Nations as “unprecedented in the history of the United Nations.” It also states that this ban undermines human rights and humanitarian principles.
The UAE Ambassador to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, warns that the restriction could jeopardise the entire operation of the UN in Afghanistan and urges the Security Council to act.
“The challenges in Afghanistan are multifaceted and must also be addressed,” she said. “But what is clear is that without women, the dire situation in the country cannot be addressed sustainably.”
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According to Reuters, the draft resolution also recognises the need to address the fundamental economic challenges facing Afghanistan, including the use of assets belonging to the Central Bank of Afghanistan for the benefit of the country’s people.
Meanwhile, a meeting with the special envoys of countries on Afghanistan affairs is scheduled to take place in Doha, hosted by the United Nations on May 1st. The goal of this two-day meeting is to develop a unified approach to dealing with the Taliban.
At the beginning of this month, the Taliban banned women from working in UN offices in Afghanistan, in addition to previous bans on women’s work in national and international non-governmental institutions, and girls’ education.
