Zabihullah Mujahid

Ayaz Gul
VOA News
April 12, 2023

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban on Wednesday said their decision to forbid local women from working for the United Nations in Afghanistan is an internal matter that all parties should respect.

The fundamentalist de facto authorities issued their first formal response a week after the ban on Afghan women staff from the U.N. went into effect. It also came a day after the U.N. mission office in Kabul renewed its condemnation of the “unlawful” restriction and warned it could push the world body to cease operations in the country.

“The Islamic Emirate does not want to create obstacles for the United Nations,” chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement Wednesday, using the official title for his male-only government.

“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,” Mujahid added.

U.N. Deputy-Secretary General Amina Mohammed said Wednesday on Twitter that “Giving up on women’s rights in Afghanistan is simply not an option.”

The mission noted in a statement that its chief, Roza Otunbayeva, had initiated a review of U.N. operations in Afghanistan that could continue until May 5, instructing all staff to stay away from work during this period.

The United Nations said on Tuesday that it could not comply with the ban on its Afghan female staff as it violates its charter and international law.

The U.N. has nearly 4,000 staff members in Afghanistan, of which about 3,300 are Afghans. Among them are about 400 Afghan women and 200 international female staffers.

Last December, the Taliban banned local female employees from working with domestic and international aid organizations, prompting some to suspend their charity work.

The United Nations has said that the Taliban administration would be responsible for “any negative consequences of this crisis” stemming from the ban for millions of Afghans across the country reeling from years of war and prolonged drought.

In his statement, Mujahid instead blamed Western governments for the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, calling it an outcome of international sanctions on the country’s financial and banking system, the freezing of central bank assets overseas, and travel bans on Taliban leaders.

He said removing all restrictions would put Afghanistan on the path to economic and political progress. “Afghans have the capacity to stand on their own feet,” Mujahid said.

Afghanistan is home to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The United Nations says 28.3 million people, or two-thirds of the population, need humanitarian assistance. Six million people are on the brink of famine.

This year’s $4.6 billion humanitarian appeal has received little more than $200 million in funding.

The U.N. humanitarian agency warned Wednesday that funding for the Afghan appeal is drying up, putting millions of lives at risk. “If funding is not urgently secured, millions of Afghans will be staring down the barrel of famine, disease, and death.”

Aid workers fear the Taliban’s crackdown on women aid workers could further undermine the U.N. appeal and even force donors to suspend support for the humanitarian assistance program in Afghanistan.

The ban on U.N. female staff is the latest in a series of restrictions the Taliban have imposed on Afghan women since reclaiming control of the country in August 2021. They have barred women from accessing higher education, government jobs, and public spaces. Girls are also not allowed to attend school beyond sixth grade.

The hardline group rejects criticism of its governance, saying it aligns with Afghan culture and Islamic law. The restrictions have kept the world from granting legitimacy to the Taliban rule.

Related

• UN Calls Ban on Its Female Afghan Staff “Unlawful”

Ayaz Gul
VOA News
April 11, 2023

ISLAMABAD — The United Nations has warned that the Taliban’s “unlawful” ban on its female staff in Afghanistan could push the world body to cease operations in the country.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, issued the warning Tuesday, days after the fundamentalist authorities barred Afghan women employees from working for the mission in the improvised nation reeling from years of war and prolonged drought.

The statement reiterated the U.N.’s “unequivocal” condemnation of the restriction, saying the global organization cannot comply with it as it is against international law and the U.N. charter.

“Through this ban, the Taliban de facto authorities seek to force the U.N. 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,” the UNAMA stressed.

The mission’s chief, Roza Otunbayeva, has initiated a review of UNAMA operations in the country that could continue until May 5, the statement said.

“U.N. national personnel — women and men — have been instructed not to report to U.N. offices, with only limited and calibrated exceptions made for critical tasks.”

During the review period, the U.N. office in Kabul would conduct necessary consultations, make required operational adjustments, and accelerate contingency planning for all possible outcomes, 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,” the UNAMA cautioned.

The Taliban have not publicly commented on the restriction since it went into effect a week ago (April 4).

The United Nations has nearly 4,000 staff members in Afghanistan, of which about 3,300 are Afghan nationals. Among them are about 400 Afghan women and 200 international female staffers.

The ban on U.N. female staff is the latest in a series of restrictions the Taliban have imposed on Afghan women since reclaiming control of the country in August 2021.

The curbs have severely impacted women and girls’ participation in public and daily life. Afghan women have been banned from accessing higher education and many government jobs and public spaces. Girls are also not allowed to attend school beyond sixth grade.

On December 24, 2022, the Taliban banned Afghan women from working with domestic and international aid groups but did not include the United Nations at that time. Some international nongovernmental organizations suspended their work after the decree.

The de facto authorities have ignored calls to lift the curbs and dismissed criticism of their governance, saying it is in line with Afghan culture and Islamic law or Shariah.

The global community has refused to grant legitimacy to the men-only Taliban administration, primarily over human rights concerns and the treatment of women.

The United States and the international community at large have linked the legitimacy issue to the removal of restrictions on women and respect for human rights of all Afghans.

John Kirby, the U.S. national security council coordinator for strategic communications, reiterated to reporters last week that Washington does not recognize the Taliban as an official government in Afghanistan.

“If they want to be so recognized — at least by the United States — if they want to be seen as legitimate, then they need to own up to the promises they made about how they were going to govern that country and how they were going to treat their own people, including women and girls,” Kirby told reporters last week.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies. The United Nations says 28.3 million people, two-thirds of the population, need humanitarian assistance.

Six million people are on the brink of famine. A $4.6 billion humanitarian appeal for this year is just over $200 million funded.

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