KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has voiced concern over the Taliban’s recent directive threatening to suspend NGOs that employ women, urging the revocation of this and all other restrictions imposed on women and girls.
In a letter dated December 26, the Taliban Ministry of Economy ordered national and international NGOs to comply with a two-year-old decree that bans the employment of women. The ministry warned that violations would lead to the suspension of the organization’s activities and the revocation of its license.
“All domestic and international NGOs are directed to adhere fully to the written directive from this ministry, which mandates the cessation of women’s employment within organizations, and to implement the necessary measures accordingly,” the ministry said.
In a statement on Tuesday, December 31, Mr. Türk emphasized that NGOs play a crucial role in delivering lifesaving assistance to Afghans, noting that the decision would directly affect their ability to reach those in urgent need.
“This is absolutely the wrong path being taken by the de facto authorities [Taliban],” Turk said.
The UN High Commissioner urged the Taliban to revoke this “deeply concerning decree” and all other measures that seek to deny women and girls access to education, work, public services, and restrict their freedom of movement.
“No country can progress – politically, economically, or socially – by excluding half of its population from public life,” he said. “For the future of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities must change their course,” he added.
Aid organizations have previously warned that the latest restriction would impede aid efforts in a country where nearly 24 million people, mostly women and children, are in desperate need of assistance. They emphasized that female aid workers are crucial for reaching women and children, who are the most affected by the humanitarian crisis.
Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban have effectively removed women from public life. Recently, the regime ordered all public and private institutions to suspend medical education programs, such as nursing and midwifery, for women and girls.
These are the latest in a series of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since their takeover. Previously, they banned women and girls from schools, universities, and most jobs, along with other restrictions.
UN experts, legal scholars, and activists argue that the Taliban’s policies constitute a system of apartheid, designed to systematically subjugate women and girls based solely on their gender.
Despite global appeals to reverse these decrees, the Taliban remain steadfast, intensifying measures that deepen the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
