Guterres denounces ban on women working, millions rely on humanitarian aid in Afghanistan
Millions of people in Afghanistan depend on humanitarian aid, but the Taliban have banned women from working for aid organizations. UN Secretary-General Guterres condemned the oppression at a conference in Doha, Qatar.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke out strongly at the end of the conference in Doha, condemning the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations and international aid organizations. He called it unacceptable and a threat to human life.
“I want to be very clear that we will never be silent in the face of unprecedented systematic attacks on the rights of women and girls,” said the UN Secretary-General. “We will always speak out when millions of women and girls are silenced and erased from public life. This is a serious violation of fundamental human rights.”
Discussions behind closed doors
Since taking power two years ago, the Taliban have systematically excluded women and girls from public life. The goal of the two-day meeting in Doha, according to Guterres, was to find a common international approach in dealing with the Taliban.
It was not about a possible recognition of the Taliban’s de facto government. Guterres had invited representatives from around 20 countries as well as international organizations to the closed-door discussions.
The participants agreed that an engagement strategy was necessary, one that enabled the stabilization of Afghanistan, but also addressed important concerns, said Guterres. “The participants are concerned about the stability of Afghanistan and have expressed these serious concerns.”
Taliban excluded from the meeting
Apparently, the Taliban were deliberately not invited to the discussions by Guterres. A spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan criticized this as discriminatory and unjustified. During the press conference, a journalist asked under what conditions the UN Secretary-General would meet the Taliban.
Guterres answered evasively. “When the right time comes, of course, I will not reject this possibility – today is not the right time for that.” Afghanistan is currently experiencing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. According to the UN, two-thirds of the population depend on humanitarian aid for their survival.
Guterres emphasized that it was now up to the United Nations to maintain its engagement in Afghanistan. Lessons must be learned from the past. He announced that there would be another meeting in the future.