Most Afghans still live in poverty, and millions of people, including children, suffer from acute food insecurity. UN human rights chief on ban on Afghan women being hired by NGOs Human Rights
UN human rights chief Volker Türk has expressed alarm at a recent statement by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan that NGOs will have their licenses revoked if they continue to hire Afghan women. Türk said that “this is absolutely the wrong way to go.”
On December 26, the de facto Ministry of Economy of Afghanistan ordered national and international NGOs to comply with a decree issued two years ago that prohibits them from hiring local women.
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains grave, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reminded. More than half of the population lives in poverty.
“NGOs play a vital role in providing assistance to Afghan women, men, girls and boys, and this measure will directly impact the population’s ability to receive humanitarian assistance,” he said.
“I once again call on the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to repeal this deeply discriminatory decree and all other measures that seek to deny women and girls access to education, work and public services, including health care, and measures that restrict their freedom of movement,” Türk added.
As the High Commissioner stressed, no country can develop – politically, economically or socially – without excluding half of its population from public life.
“For the future of Afghanistan, the de facto authorities must change course,” Turk said.