UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has condemned the Taliban ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations (UN), describing it as violation of their inalienable fundamental human rights.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Guterres in a statement by his Spokesperson, Mr Stephane Dujarric, said the latest escalation of the de facto authorities\u2019 suppression of women violated their obligations under international human rights.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt violates Afghanistan\u2019s obligations under international human rights law, and infringes on the principle of non-discrimination, which is a core tenet underpinning the United Nations Charter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Since overthrowing the democratically elected Government of Afghanistan in August 2021, Taliban leaders have steadily eroded the rights of women and girls in public life.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It has ended the right of women and girls by introducing a ban on secondary schooling, higher education, working for non-governmental organisations, and their rights to freedom of movement.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Bans are already in force preventing them in effect from working, studying, and travelling without male chaperones.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The UN chief said that female staff members were essential for all UN operations, which are directed by the Assistance Mission in the country, (UNAMA), and which include the delivery of life-saving assistance.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe enforcement of this decision will harm the Afghan people, millions of whom are in need of this assistance.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe secretary-general calls on the Taliban to immediately revoke the decision and reverse all measures that restrict women\u2019s and girls\u2019 rights to work, education and freedom of movement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In the same vein, Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, described the latest escalation of the de facto authorities\u2019 suppression of women, as a violation of their inalienable fundamental human rights.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Speaking with journalists at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, ahead of a sustainable development report briefing, Mohammed recalled the plight of women in Afghanistan in her last visit to the country.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The UN deputy chief said that she had met many of the women now facing a ban and the loss of their livelihoods, in a visit to Afghanistan at the beginning of the year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe reiterate that both Afghan women and men are essential to all aspects of our work,\u201d she said, adding that the UN is taking all possible measures right now to support its national female staff at this difficult time.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
She said UN national female staff would continue to receive their salaries, but until further clarification is received, all national staff \u2013 both men and women \u2013 are being told not to report to the office.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mohammed said she had been involved in a meeting with the Foreign Affairs minister of the de facto authorities on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
She pledged that UN leadership would continue to engage with Taliban representatives, as well as neighbouring countries\u201d to resolve the latest human rights infringements.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The President of the General Assembly, Csaba Korosi, also strongly condemned the move, calling it a \u201cblatant violation\u201d of women and girls\u2019 human rights.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe consequences of this decision would harm the Afghan people, in particular the most vulnerable segments of the population,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He noted that Afghanistan needed to get on the path towards sustainable development, \u201cand for that, it should mobilize the country\u2019s full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Also, the UN human rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk, described the latest erosion of rights for women in Afghanistan as an \u201cutterly despicable\u201d move.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a systematic, relentless assault on the people of Afghanistan as a whole by the Taliban\u201d, he said, who he said seemed to be working to incapacitate, intimidate and harass half of the population.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He called on the leadership to rethink all of the restrictive policies introduced to curb women\u2019s rights, for the sake of the future of the country.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: News Agency of Nigeria<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has condemned the Taliban ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations (UN), describing it as violation of their inalienable fundamental human rights.Guterres in a statement by his Spokesperson, Mr Stephane …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n