The United Nations leadership have concluded plans to engage the Taliban authorities over its decision to ban Afghan women from working with UN in the country.
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed who made this known on Wednesday while reacting to the decision said personally, she is outraged over the development.
According to her, “I am terribly troubled by the fact that in the month of Ramadan, that what we get from the Taliban is a strike against the teachings and the belief of Islam”.
The Deputy Chief added, “The Holy Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) allows and gives rights to women on education for work.
“On Khadija, the wife of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was a merchant, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was an employee. The jihad was funded by the funding from a woman.
“I think it is not at this time, when we had to be closer to God, that we strike against Afghan women. These are women who are mothers, they’re sisters, they’re daughters, they are grandmothers, they are wives and it is clearly a very troubling time”.
She stated that UN will continue to stand by the women and the girls of Afghanistan while joining the the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres in condemning the Taliban’s decision, saying it’s a clear violation of the fundamental human rights of women.
Mohammed who met with the female staff members, said they’re essential for the UN’s work, including in the delivery of life-saving assistance. “Some national colleagues have already experienced restrictions on their movements”.
She emphasized the UN reiterating that both Afghan women and men are essential to all aspects of its work and it is taking all possible measures right now to support its national female staff at this difficult time.
“The UN continues to remain committed to assisting Afghan people, two-thirds of whom are 23 million people in need of life-saving assistance, including 20 million people who are food insecure, six million of whom are one step away from famine”.
UN Deputy Chief said until additional clarification is received, the UN is instructing all of its national staff – men and women not to report to the office in Afghanistan. “UN national female staff will continue to receive their salaries.
“And posts of women and staff will not be backfilled by men. The participation of female staff in the humanitarian response is essential if the UN is to reach populations in need of safety and effectively with principled and quality assistance”, she said.
Also, United States Ambassador to United Nations, Linda Thomas- Greenfield on her Twitter handle reacted to Taliban’s decision, saying women are integral to humanitarian operations, including in Afghanistan where they provide lifesaving aid to the country’s most vulnerable.
“The UN Security Council will convene tomorrow to discuss the Taliban’s repugnant decision to bar women from working with the UN”, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said.
This decision extended to the directive previously announced on 24 December 2022, banning Afghan women working for national and international non-governmental organizations.
Several UN national female personnel have already experienced restrictions on their movements, including harassment, intimidation, and detention.
The UN has therefore instructed all national staff – men and women – not to report to the office until further notice while the ban is unlawful under international law and cannot be accepted by the United Nations.
It constitutes an unparalleled violation of women’s rights, a flagrant breach of humanitarian principles, and a breach of international rules on the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, including those extended to all UN personnel.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, is engaging the de facto authorities at the highest level possible to convey the Organization’s protest and to seek an immediate reversal of the order.
