Taliban bans female NGO staff, undermining aid efforts

• Taliban orders NGOs to prevent female staff from working
• Comes after the suspension of female students from universities
• UN says order would have serious impact on humanitarian operations
• UN plans to meet Taliban for clarification

KABUL, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration on Saturday ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop female workers from working, which the United Nations said would affect humanitarian operations just as winter takes hold of a country already in economic crisis.

A letter from the Ministry of Economy, confirmed by spokesman Abdulrahman Habib, said female employees of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were not allowed to work until further notice because some had not joined. the administration’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women.

This comes days after the administration ordered universities close to womensparking global condemnation and sparking protests and strong criticism in Afghanistan.

The two rulings are the latest restrictions on women that could undermine the Taliban-led administration’s efforts to win international recognition and clear sanctions that are severely hampering the economy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter that he was “deeply concerned” that the move will “disrupt life-saving and life-saving assistance to millions of people”, adding: “Women are at the heart of humanitarian operations around the world. This decision could be devastating for the Afghan people.”

Ramiz Alakbarov, UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan and humanitarian coordinator, told Reuters that although the UN had not been ordered, contracted NGOs were carrying out most of its activities and would be strongly affected.

“Many of our programs will be affected,” he said, as they need female staff to assess humanitarian needs and identify beneficiaries, otherwise they will not be able to implement aid programs.

The international aid agency AfghanAid said it was immediately suspending operations while it consulted with other organizations, and other NGOs took similar action.

The potential jeopardy of aid programs that millions of Afghans have access to comes when more than half the population depends on humanitarian aid, according to aid agencies, and during the coldest season of the mountainous nation.

“There is never a good time for something like this…but this particular time is very unfortunate because during the winter people are most in need and Afghan winters are very harsh,” said Alakbarov.

He said his office would consult with NGOs and UN agencies on Sunday and seek to meet with Taliban authorities for an explanation.

Aid workers say female workers are essential in a country where cultural rules and customs largely prevent male workers from delivering aid to female beneficiaries.

“An important principle of delivering humanitarian aid is the ability of women to participate independently and unhindered in its distribution, so if we cannot do this in a principled way, no donor will fund programs like this,” Alakbarov said. said.

Asked if the rules directly included UN agencies, Habib said the letter applied to organizations under Afghanistan’s coordination body for humanitarian organizations, known as ACBAR. This body does not include the UN, but includes more than 180 local and international NGOs.

Their licenses would be suspended if they failed to comply, the letter said.

Afghanistan’s struggling economy has tipped into crisis since the Taliban seized power in 2021, with the country facing sanctions, development aid cuts and a freeze on central bank assets .

AfghanAid estimates that a record 28 million Afghans will need humanitarian assistance next year.

Reporting from the Kabul Newsroom; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington Editing by Mark Potter and Josie Kao

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