KABUL (Pajhwok): A dozen leading nations, including the US and Britain, have voiced their grave concern at the ban on female workers of NGOs by the caretaker government of Afghanistan.
The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, the US and the high representative of the European Union slammed the caretaker government’s move as a reckless and dangerous order.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, they said the ban put at risk millions of Afghans who depended on humanitarian assistance for their survival.
“We call on the Taliban to urgently reverse this decision,” the foreign ministers demanded in their statement, which was released by the US State Department.
Unless they participated in aid delivery in Afghanistan, NGOs would be unable to reach the country’s most vulnerable people to provide food, medicine, winterization, and other materials and services, they added.
The ban would also affect the humanitarian assistance provided by international organisations, which utilise NGOs to deliver such materials and services, the foreign ministers warned.
They accused the Taliban of continuing to disregard the rights, freedoms and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls. The Islamic Emirate was also blamed for its disinterest in normal relations with the international community.
“We support the Afghan people’s calls for girls and women to return to work, school and university, and for women to continue to play essential roles in humanitarian and basic needs assistance delivery.”
The ministers urged the Taliban administration to respect the political, economic, social and cultural rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
PAN Monitor/mud
