It is of the utmost concern to the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, the US, Denmark, the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, and Japan, as well as the High Representative of the European Union, that the Taliban’s reckless and dangerous order prohibiting female employees of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from working in the workplace puts at risk millions of Afghans who rely on humanitarian assistance for their survival.
In addition, the foreign ministers of Australia and Canada are appealing to the Taliban to backtrack on this decision immediately. Women occupy a position of absolute preeminence at the heart of the humanitarian and basic needs movement. Suppose non-governmental organizations (NGOs) do not take part in the distribution of aid in Afghanistan. In that case, they will not be able to reach the most vulnerable people in the country and provide them with the food, medicine, and winterization as well as other materials and services that are necessary for them to live.
Because international organizations rely on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver the required goods and services, this would also affect the humanitarian help that international organizations offer.
The Taliban continue to show that they have no respect for the rights, freedoms, or welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, and that they have no interest in maintaining normal relations with the international community.
We urge the Taliban to respect the political, economic, social, and cultural rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. We support the calls made by the Afghan people for girls and women to go back to work, school, and university; for women to continue to play essential roles in the delivery of humanitarian and basic needs assistance; and for women to return to work in essential functions in the delivery of humanitarian and basic needs assistance.
To achieve this goal, we are maintaining constant communication with the United Nations, who are requesting, on behalf of all international contributors, that the Taliban reconsider their decision. This would prevent disruptions and allow all humanitarian operations by international and national NGOs to continue.
