UN Chief Urges Taliban To Lift Ban on Female Staff Working at Global Agency

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the Taliban for its move to ban women from working at the global agency
Various groups condemned the decision, saying that it violated women's rights
The UN said that the ban would most likely negatively impact the agency's efforts to stave off Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the global agency was urging the de facto rulers to revoke its decision to ban women from working at the global agency.

On Wednesday, the agency noted that Afghanistan's de facto rulers' ban on women from working with the organization prompted criticism. It also raised questions regarding foreign aid during a humanitarian crisis in the region.

UN Criticizes Taliban's Ban on Female Workers

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and other UN representatives released a statement condemning the decision, calling it "cruel," "unlawful," and "an unparalleled violation of women's rights." The global agency added that the move would most likely affect the UN's ability to mitigate Afghanistan's dire humanitarian crisis.

Approximately two-thirds of Afghans rely on lifesaving assistance from the United Nations. A deputy Taliban spokesman, Bilal Karimi, did not immediately reply to comments regarding the situation. He said he was still gathering information on the issue on Wednesday, as per the Washington Post.

On the other hand, the United Nations released an order telling all of its local workers in Afghanistan, including male staff, not to report to their offices in the region until further notice. The organization cited mounting safety concerns following recent cases of alleged "harassment, intimidation, and detention" of female Afghan staff.

A spokesman for the UN secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, released a statement where she said that the Taliban's enforcement of its ban would only harm its people, millions of whom are in dire need of assistance.

The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also said that the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan are trying to erase women, which she called appalling and unacceptable. On Tuesday, the UN raised concerns over a potential ban on its female workers in Afghanistan. In a Twitter post, the agency said working women were prevented from reporting to work in Nangarhar province.

A Breach of Women's Human Rights

On Wednesday, Dujarric called for the ban to be "immediately revoked," saying that it violated the inalienable fundamental human rights of women. The ban comes despite the Taliban's initial promises of a more moderate rule compared to its previous rise to power, according to Aljazeera.

Since taking control of Afghanistan's government, the terrorist group has imposed harsh measures following the US and NATO withdrawal of their forces from the region. The de facto rulers have banned girls from schools beyond the sixth grade, and they have also not allowed women to work, study, or travel without a male companion.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been called the most severe in the world, as more than 28 million people are in dire need of assistance. The UN Office for Coordination of humanitarian affairs, however, said that only less than 5% of the required funding had been donated in an attempt to meet the immediate needs of Afghan residents, said CBS News.