UN condemns Taliban ban on Afghan women working at NGOs

“I am deeply alarmed at the recent announcement by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan that non-governmental organizations’ licenses will be revoked if they continue to employ Afghan women. This is absolutely the wrong path being taken,” said UN human rights chief Volker Turk in a statement on Tuesday, urging the governing Taliban authorities in Afghanistan to lift their ban on Afghan women working for NGOs. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been gradually removed from public spaces, leading the UN to condemn the “gender apartheid” the administration has established.