AFGHANISTAN: The UN is prepared to leave Afghanistan in May if it is unable to convince the Taliban to permit local women to work for the organisation. This comes after UN representatives spent months talking to the group’s leaders in the hope of making exceptions to a decree banning local women from working for it.
The US government and other G7 nations have been threatening to reduce the aid due to 28 million people needing humanitarian help in 2023. The Taliban’s reclusive leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered them to express their position in December, but they have steadfastly stuck to it. Women’s access to education has also been restricted by the order.
The Taliban have enforced a severe dictatorship since taking control in 2021, despite earlier promises of a more moderate rule. This includes public executions and restrictions on women’s rights and educational opportunities.
This has caused millions of children to go without food, as the Taliban have enforced a severe dictatorship since its control after US and Nato forces withdrew after two decades of war.
Achim Steiner hoped that common sense would prevail when the UN and other agencies left, as it is predicted that women and children would be the most affected. This withdrawal coincides with projections.
International Crisis Group research found that women and girls in Afghan families often receive the smallest portion of food, leading to malnutrition and sickness. It also warned that if humanitarian organisations leave, it may be difficult for foreign officials to return.
Negotiating access to Afghanistan’s rural areas requires more than obtaining the Taliban’s consent. The UN has issued a warning as the situation for assistance organisations in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly difficult.
Senior officials have attempted to convince the Taliban to revoke its December directive, so the UN and other humanitarian organisations are clinging to a few exclusions permitting women to work in health, education, and nutrition.
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