UAE, Bahrain react to ban on NGOs women employees

KABUL (Pajhwok): The United Arab Emirate (UAE) and Bahrain have criticized the Islamic ‘Emirate of Afghanistan’ (IEA) decision to stop women employees of the International None-Governmental Organisation (INGOs) from work and said the move will hamper aid distribution.

The Ministry of Economy on Saturday night in a statement said that serious complaints had been recently received regarding the violation of Hijab and enforced rules of the IEA by women employees in public and private institutions.

The latter reads: “With the approval of the Ministry of Economy, to discharge its responsibility and mission for the implementation of the applicable laws and regulations of the IEA in the working area of domestic and foreign NGOs, all respected institutions are instructed that until further order, all female employees who work in the related fields shall stop their work.”

Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirate (UAE) in the UN on her twitter handle wrote: “This decision will hamper the distribution of aid in Afghanistan and will affect the most vulnerable individuals of society, including women.

She said one third population of Afghanistan direly needed humanitarian aid and nearly six million were facing hunger.

She said: “Islam honor women and protected their rights, women and girls have equal rights in most segments of life.”

Bahrain also strongly condemned the decision of the caretaker IEA government to ban women from working in local and international non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry noted that this decision violates United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 2615, and contradicts the human rights principles endorsed by international covenants.

It also opposes the rights of Afghan women to work and contribute to sustainable development efforts, and it will hinder international efforts aimed at delivering humanitarian and relief aid to the brotherly Afghan people.

The Kingdom further calls on the caretaker government in Afghanistan to immediately retract this unjustified decision.

nh

Views: 163