“This is a violation of women’s inalienable fundamental rights,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said in a statement.
On Wednesday, the UN announced that it had urged both male and female employees not to show up for work due to the ban – but with continued pay. According to the UN, the banning of women violates the organization’s own statutes.
“It goes without saying that no authority can give instructions to the UN about who should be employed,” says Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan.
Already in December, Afghan women were banned from working in aid organizations, a ban that the UN has been exempt from until recently.
Based on its strict interpretation of Islam, the Taliban regime has imposed a wide range of brutal restrictions on the country’s women. Since they took power in 2021, women have been banned from higher education, a variety of professions and, among other things, from gyms and theme parks. Women are also not allowed to travel without the company of a male relative and must cover their bodies outside the home – preferably with a burqa.
The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the issue on Thursday, in connection with a meeting held behind closed doors. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken states that he is concerned about the “reprehensible” decision.