Taliban say ban on Afghan women working for UN ‘an internal issue’

[ghazi52]

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Taliban say ban on Afghan women working for UN ‘an internal issue’​

AFP
April 12, 2023

A ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations was an internal issue, the country’s Taliban authorities said on Wednesday, adding that the decision “should be respected by all sides”.

Taliban authorities triggered international outrage earlier this month after extending a December ban on Afghan women working for non-governmental organisations to the UN.

“The Islamic Emirate does not want to create obstacles for the United Nations,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Rather, it wants to make it clear that this is an internal issue of Afghanistan which does not create a problem for anyone and should be respected by all sides.”

Under their austere interpretation of Islam, Taliban authorities have imposed a slew of restrictions on Afghan women since seizing power in 2021, including banning them from higher education and many government jobs.

The UN said on Tuesday that the ban was forcing it to make an “appalling choice” on whether to continue operations in Afghanistan.

The world body said it cannot comply with the ban as it was “unlawful under international law, including the UN Charter”.

Mujahid, however, said there was no “discrimination” in the decision. “On the contrary, considering the religious and cultural interests, we are committed to all the rights of our people.”

The increasing curbs on women are reminiscent of the Taliban’s first government between 1996 and 2001, when the UN said they were responsible for repeated human rights violations — particularly against girls and women.

Taliban authorities have imposed a slew of restrictions on Afghan women since seizing power in 2021, including banning them from higher education and many government jobs.

In December, they banned Afghan women from working for domestic and foreign non-governmental organisations, and on April 4 extended that to UN offices across the country.

Since the ban was announced, the UN has ordered all its Afghan staff — men and women — not to report to work until further notice.

Taliban authorities justified the December ban on the grounds they had received “serious complaints” that women were not observing the group’s interpretation of Islamic dress codes.

Several NGOs suspended operations in the country in protest, piling further misery on Afghanistan’s citizens — half of whom face hunger, according to aid agencies.

Mujahid said Afghans had the “capacity to stand on their own feet”, but the country’s problems were caused by sanctions and restrictions on the financial and banking system.

Soon after the Taliban’s takeover, the United States seized roughly $7 billion in Afghan central bank assets.

“It is necessary that the member countries of the United Nations resolve the problem of freezing Afghan assets, banking, travel bans and other restrictions so that Afghanistan can progress in the economic, political and security areas,” Mujahid said.

Taliban say ban on Afghan women working for UN ‘an internal issue’

The UN says ban is forcing it to make an "appalling choice" on whether to continue operations in Afghanistan.

www.dawn.com

 

[ghazi52]

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UN says forced into ‘appalling choice’ by Taliban ban on women​

AFP
April 12, 2023

KABUL: The United Nations is being forced to make an “appalling choice” over whether to continue operations in Afghanistan while the Taliban government bans women from working for the organisation, the world body said on Tuesday.

Taliban authorities have imposed a slew of restrictions on Afghan women since seizing power in 2021, including banning them from higher education and many government jobs.

In December, they banned Afghan women from working for domestic and foreign non-governmental organisations, and on April 4 extended that to UN offices across the country.

In a statement on Tuesday, the UN mission in Afghanistan said the ban was “unlawful under international law, including the UN Charter, and for that reason the United Nations cannot comply”.

“Through this ban, the Taliban de facto authorities seek to force the United Nations into having to make an appalling choice between staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people and standing by the norms and principles we are duty-bound to uphold,” it said.

The increasing curbs are reminiscent of the Taliban’s first government between 1996 and 2001, when the UN said they were responsible for repeated human rights violations — particularly against girls and women.

UN mission head Roza Otunbayeva has initiated an “operational review” to decide next steps, the statement said.

“It should be clear that any negative consequences of this crisis for the Afghan people will be the responsibility of the de facto authorities,” it said. The world body employs around 400 Afghan women in the country.

UN humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov said soon after the ban that the decree violated the world body’s charter.

“It is absolutely clear that no authority can give instructions to the United Nations… on who should be employed,” he said. “We are not going to make an exception.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1643940387998904320

Since the ban was announced, the UN has ordered all its Afghan staff, men and women, not to report to the offices until further notice.

The ban triggered international outrage, with the Taliban authorities coming under severe criticism. They have so far not issued any clarification or reason for the UN ban.

Local employees make up the bulk of the 600 women working for the UN in the country. In total, there are about 3,300 Afghans in the country’s 3,900-strong UN workforce.

Many NGOs suspended all operations in the country in protest after the ban on women staff was announced in December, piling further misery on Afghanistan’s citizens, half of whom face hunger, according to aid agencies.

It was agreed after days of discussion that women working in the health sector would be exempt from the decree, although the UN also enjoyed a general exemption.

 

[ghazi52]

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According to the head of the U.N Development Program, if the Taliban refuses to allow local women to work for the organisation, the United Nations is prepared to make the difficult decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in May, a decision that is both disheartening and unfortunate.

 

[Foinikas]

Barbarians!

 

[ghazi52]

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Taliban recognition not a focus of Afghanistan meeting, says UN​

April 20, 2023

UNITED NATIONS: A U.N.-convened meeting on Afghanistan next month will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration, a U.N. spokesperson stressed on Thursday after comments by the deputy U.N. chief sparked concern and confusion.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to host a closed-door gathering in Doha on May 1-2 of special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries. His deputy, Amina Mohammed, suggested on Monday the gathering "could find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition."

"The Doha conference on the 1st and 2nd of May is not focusing on recognition and we don't want there to be any confusion about that," said deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.


"The point of discussion ... is to build a more unified consensus on the challenges at hand."

The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew following 20 years of war.

In December, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly approved postponing, for the second time, a decision on whether to recognize the Afghan Taliban administration by allowing them to send a United Nations ambassador to New York.

Earlier this month the Taliban began enforcing a ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations after stopping most women working for humanitarian aid groups in December.

Since toppling the Western-backed government, they have also tightened controls over women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing most girls' high schools.