Swiss call on Taliban to reconsider ban on women to work for NGOs
There are more than 28 million people in Afghanistan who depend on humanitarian aid to survive according to the UN.
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The Swiss foreign ministry has expressed dismay over a decision by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to ban women from working with non-governmental organisations.
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Suiza pide a los talibanes reconsiderar la prohibición de que las mujeres trabajen para las ONG
“Switzerland is shocked to learn about plans of the Taliban to ban female staff of international/national non-government organizations from working in Afghanistan. We are assessing the consequences for humanitarian efforts and urge the Taliban to reconsider this decision,” Heinrich Schellenberg, head of the Asia-Pacific division in the Swiss foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The statement comes as the United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, said he was deeply disturbed by reports of the ban.
The United States warned that the NGO ban will disrupt vital assistance to millions in Afghanistan.
The Swiss-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said more than 3,000 of its staff in Afghanistan are women who will be affected by the Taliban decision.
Three major international aid groups, the Geneva-based humanitarian agency, CARE, as well as the Save the Children from Britain and the Norwegian Refugee Council said they could not reach children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without women in their workforce.
Earlier this week, the fundamentalist regime banned women from universities in Afghanistan prompting international condemnation.
The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US troops.
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