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UN expresses grave concern over Taliban’s ban on educational activities of NGOs in Afghanistan

During a press briefing on Thursday, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said the UN is “extremely concerned” about the Taliban’s ban on educational activities of NGOs in Afghanistan.

“Extremely concerned by these reports. If this would come to pass, this would be another horrendous step backward for the people of Afghanistan and especially for women in girls and youth in general in Afghanistan,” Stéphane Dujarric stated.

However, Dujarric acknowledged that the United Nations has not received anything official or in writing from the Taliban regarding this matter.

He further revealed that their colleagues in Kabul have been engaging in discussions with Taliban authorities to try to ascertain exactly “what is being planned.”

“The message that we are also passing directly to the authorities is to reiterate yet again that every person has a right to an education, and we want to make sure that de facto authorities guarantee access to education for children and young adults,” Dujarric added.

On Wednesday, Sources from UNICEF, Save the Children and ACTED confirmed to KabulNow that the Taliban had banned the educational activities of international organizations in Afghanistan.

A source within the Taliban has also confirmed the new restriction and said UNICEF is exempt from the ban.

Yesterday, UNICEF in Afghanistan also expressed concerns regarding the Taliban’s recent ban and warned that this ban could result in over 500,000 children including over 300,000 girls being deprived of education in Afghanistan.

Despite the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education following the group’s rise to power, international organizations, including the UN, have been heavily involved in education projects, including community-based classes, often held in homes in rural areas.