On Sunday, 25th December 2022, three big international NGOs announced that they are suspending their work in Afghanistan. These aid groups took this decision after the Taliban government in Afghanistan barred the NGOs from employing women. Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and CARE are these three aid groups.
These NGOs said in a joint statement that without women working in their organizational fold, they find it impossible to reach children, women, and men in desperate need in Afghanistan. In the midst of deteriorating humanitarian situations, the three NGOs offer support and services in the areas of health care, education, child protection, and nutrition.
“We cannot effectively reach children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without our female staff. Without women driving our response, we would not have jointly reached millions of Afghans in need since August 2021. Beyond the impact on delivery of lifesaving assistance, this will affect thousands of jobs in the midst of an enormous economic crisis,” the joint statement said.
“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 signed by Save the Children CEO Inger Ashing, Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary-General Jan Egeland, and CARE International Secretary-General Sofia Sprechmann Sinerio said.
Neil Turner, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s chief for Afghanistan, said, “We have complied with all cultural norms and we simply can’t work without our dedicated female staff, who are essential for us to access women who are in desperate need of assistance.” 468 women work for the organization across Afghanistan.
Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that the Taliban has forced NRC, Save, CARE and many other organisations to suspend operations in Afghanistan with their ban on female workers. “Banning NGOs from employing women crosses a humanitarian red line. NRC cannot and will not operate without our 470 female staff,” he tweeted.
The Taliban has forced NRC, Save, Care and many others to suspend operations in #Afghanistan. Banning NGOs from employing women crosses a humanitarian red line. @NRC_Norway cannot and will not operate without our 470 female staff https://t.co/0UPKyIW2m5
— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) December 25, 2022
“Millions will suffer due to the TB edict. Noone should work with male staff only. It would be a horrible precedent,” Jan Egeland added.
Apart from these 3 NGOs, other organisations are also contemplating suspending their work in the country due to the ban on female employees. A meeting of the Humanitarian Country Team, which comprises top UN officials and representatives of dozens of Afghan and foreign NGOs, is being held in Kabul to discuss whether to suspend all aid work following the latest Taliban directive. “A meeting of Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is scheduled later today to consult and discuss how to tackle this issue,” Tapiwa Gomo, public information officer for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.
On Saturday, 24th December 2022, all domestic and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Afghanistan were ordered by the Taliban government to forbid the presence of female employees at work. Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif wrote a letter with the directive for the NGO. It said that any organization found to be disobeying the rule will have its operating license for Afghanistan cancelled.
The Taliban banned women from working in local and international NGOs alleging that they are not wearing the Islamic headscarf correctly. The Ministry of Economy said it had received “serious complaints” that women working in NGOs were not following the Islamic dress code properly.
The United States has denounced the Taliban for ordering non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan to cease hiring women, saying that the prohibition will prevent millions of people from receiving crucial and life-saving aid. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday, 24th December 2022, “Women are central to humanitarian operations around the world. This decision could be devastating for the Afghan people.”
United Nations is seeking to meet with the Taliban leadership to obtain clarity on the reported order barring all female employees of national and international organizations (NGOs) from going to work, according to the UN Humanitarian office, OCHA.
“The UN will seek to meet with the Taliban leadership to obtain clarity on the reported order. Women must be enabled to play a critical role in all aspects of life, including the humanitarian response,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on Saturday.
“Their participation must be both respected and safeguarded. This latest decision will only further hurt those most vulnerable, especially women and girls,” the statement added.
In the meanwhile, it is not clear whether the latest order will also impact organisations under the United Nations, which are heavily represented in Afghanistan and provide assistance in the midst of the country’s humanitarian crisis. However, an Economy ministry spokesperson said that the letter referred to organizations under Afghanistan’s coordinating body for humanitarian organizations, known as ACBAR, when questioned if the regulations extended to U.N. agencies as well. While United Nations is not included under ACBAR, more than 180 national and international NGOs are a part of it. Moreover, UN collaborates with these NGOs to carry out humanitarian activities.
