3 foreign NGOs suspend work in Afghanistan after Taliban ban women

Kabul [Afghanistan], December 25 (ANI): Foreign aid groups have suspended their work in Afghanistan in the wake of a recent decree by the Taliban, banning women from working in international and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
"Whilst we gain clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programmes, demanding that men and women can equally continue our lifesaving assistance in Afghanistan," the leaders of CARE, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Save the Children said in a joint statement in response to the ban on NGOs employing women in Afghanistan.
The foreign aid groups said beyond the impact on the delivery of lifesaving assistance, the Taliban order affects thousands of jobs in the midst of an enormous economic crisis.
"Whilst we gain clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programmes, demanding that men and women can equally continue our lifesaving assistance in Afghanistan," the statement added.
On Saturday, the Taliban regime ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop female employees from coming to work in the country. The Taliban-led Ministry of Economy (MOE) ordered all national and international non-government organisations to suspend jobs of female employees until further announcement, TOLOnews reported.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, too, expressed deep concern over the ban imposed by the Taliban on women working at NGOs.
"The Secretary-General is deeply disturbed by the reported order of the de facto Taliban authorities banning women from working for national and international non-governmental organizations," said the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, in a statement.
"This decision will undermine the work of numerous organizations working across the country helping those most vulnerable, especially women and girls," he added.
The United Nations and its partners, including national and international NGOs, are helping more than 28 million Afghans who depend on humanitarian aid to survive.
The Taliban ban on women working with the international community to save lives and livelihoods in Afghanistan will cause further untold hardship for the people of Afghanistan, the UN chief added.
The UN chief reiterated the rights of all women to participate in the workforce, thus contributing to the greater good. (ANI)