UN Secretary Antonio Guterres condemns ban on Afghan women working with UN in Afghanistan

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday condemned the ban on Afghan women working with the UN in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. Guterres stressed that the prohibition on female workers would undermine the ability to deliver life-saving aid to the most needful people of Afghanistan.

 

The UN expressed serious concerns after the Afghan female UN staff were on Tuesday banned from reporting to work in the eastern province of Afghanistan, Nangarhar. The UN



warned the Taliban that the life-saving aid would be at risk without female staff.

 

The Taliban since it came to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, has imposed bans on women and girls, preventing them from education and employment. The Taliban first banned girls from going to school beyond sixth grade; in December 2022, a decree prohibited Afghan women from higher education and working with national and international NGOs.