Shared statement from foreign ministers on the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for nationwide and international NGOs

December 29, 2022 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Europe “The Foreign Ministers associated with Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Associated with the European Union are gravely concerned that the Taliban’s reckless plus dangerous order barring feminine employees of national plus international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the workplace puts in danger millions of Afghans who rely on humanitarian assistance for their survival. We call on the Taliban to urgently reverse this decision. “We support the particular Afghan people’s calls for girls and women to return to operate, school, and university, as well as for women to continue to play important roles in humanitarian and basic needs assistance delivery, and we urge the Taliban to respect the political, economic, social, and ethnic rights of women and ladies in Afghanistan. “Women are certainly central to humanitarian and basic needs operations. Except if they participate in aid delivery in Afghanistan, NGOs will be unable to reach the country’s most vulnerable people to provide food, medicine, winterization, as well as other materials and services they have to live. This would also affect the humanitarian assistance provided by global organizations, as international organizations utilize NGOs to deliver this kind of materials and services. “To this end, we are in close contact with the United Nations, that are urging, also on behalf of every international donors, that the Taliban reverse this decision immediately. This would avoid any interruption and allow the continuation of humanitarian operations of worldwide and national NGOs. ” “The Taliban continue to demonstrate their contempt for the rights, freedoms, and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and ladies, and their disinterest in normal relations with the worldwide community. The following is a statement from your Foreign Ministers of Sydney, Canada, Denmark, France, Australia, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union.

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