The ruling “Taliban” movement in Kabul on Friday deemed the ban on Afghan women from working with the United Nations an “internal social issue”, in response to the Security Council’s adoption of a resolution condemning restrictions imposed by the militant movement. Afghan women are generally barred from working with United Nations agencies.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “This is an internal social matter of Afghanistan, in line with international laws and the strong commitment of member states (of the United Nations) to respect Afghanistan’s sovereign choices.”
On Thursday, the Security Council unanimously adopted its 15-member, U.N. It asserts that the Taliban’s ban earlier this month on Afghan women working in the organization “undermines human rights and humanitarian principles.” The French news agency reported that the Security Council called on the “Taliban” to “rapidly reform policies and practices that restrict the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls”, citing their right to access to education, employment and freedom. movement, and “the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in public life.”
He urged “all states and organizations to use their influence” to “urgently reform these policies and practices”.
He also stressed the “deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation” and the “critical importance of the continued presence” of the United Nations embassy in Afghanistan. Lana Zaki Nusayebe, the UAE’s ambassador to the United Nations, said more than 90 countries had co-sponsored the resolution “from Afghanistan’s immediate neighborhood, from the Islamic world and from all parts of the world.”
Reuters quoted her as saying: “This … support is more important than our basic message today. The world will not be silent when women in Afghanistan are erased from society.
US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood told the assembly: “We will not accept (the Taliban’s) oppression of women and girls. These results are not acceptable. This cannot be seen anywhere else in the world… (Taliban’s) orders are causing irreparable damage to Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia criticized the resolution’s wording, saying it did not go far enough despite his country’s vote in favor of it, blaming the West for it. He added, “We are deeply saddened and disappointed that more ambitious approaches and speeches have been blocked by our Western counterparts… If you are so sincere, why not return the assets you stole from the country without any preconditions?”, Afghanistan’s central bank’s assets are worth $7 billion, as of 2021. The United States froze in .
“Until today, we have only seen the transfer of assets from one account to another, but not a single penny has been returned to the Afghan people,” Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the council.
In September, the US announced the creation of a Swiss-based fund to manage half of the frozen funds. The Security Council vote comes days before an international meeting on Afghanistan on May 1 and 2 in Doha. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet behind closed doors with Afghanistan’s special envoys from various countries to discuss a coordinated approach to dealing with the Taliban and “revitalize international engagement” on Afghanistan. On April 4, the Taliban banned Afghan women from working in United Nations offices across the country, a move previously restricted to non-governmental organizations. The move sparked outrage in the West and prompted the United Nations to review its operations in Afghanistan, which will continue until May 5.
Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, the movement has returned to using the strict interpretations of Islam that characterized its first period in power between 1996 and 2001.