Women Aid Group: U.S urges U.N to call Taliban authorities to order
Diplomats said that the United States pushed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution calling on the Taliban-led authorities in Afghanistan to reverse bans on women working for aid groups or attending universities and high school.
On Friday, the 15-member council met privately at the request of the United Arab Emirates and Japan – to discuss the decisions by the Islamist Taliban-led administration, which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council that given the gravity of the situation, it should unanimously adopt a resolution to condemn the bans and call for an immediate reversal, said diplomats.
It was not immediately clear whether all members would back such a formal move by the council. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, Britain, France, or the United States to be adopted. “Clearly, the Security Council has a few tools with its toolkit,” United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.N. Lana Nusseibeh said, adding that the body should focus on how it can practically help the situation on the ground.
The Security Council agreed by consensus to an informal statement last month calling for the whole, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan, denouncing the ban on women attending universities or working for aid groups.
Before the meeting on Friday, 11 Security Council members – including the United States, Britain, and France – issued a joint statement urging the Taliban to reverse all oppressive measures against women and girls.
The Taliban-led administration announced the ban on female aid workers on Dec. 24. It followed a ban imposed earlier last month on women attending universities. Girls were stopped from attending high school in March.
The United Nations has said that 97% of Afghans live in poverty, two-thirds of the population need aid to survive, and 20 million people face acute hunger. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell described the ban on female aid workers as “both wrong and dangerous,” according to her prepared remarks for the private Security Council meeting on Friday, seen by Reuters.
“It is not hyperbole to say that without them, lives will be lost, children will die,” she said.
Russell said that UNICEF was reviewing the ban’s impact on its work, and “as the situation evolves, we will have to make difficult decisions as to which activities we can continue and which must be suspended.”
International Rescue Committee President David Miliband said the IRC had been forced to pause most operations because of the ban. Still, it was aiming to find ways to continue working “since its outright reversal seems very unlikely,” according to his prepared remarks for the council meeting, seen by Reuters.
“Based on the clarity provided by the Ministry of Public Health, the IRC has resumed health and nutrition services through our static and mobile health teams in four provinces. Other NGOs (aid groups) are doing the same. We have a long way to go, but it is a start,” Miliband said.
Reuters/S.O
