UN may have to suspend operations in Afghanistan, aid chief warns

Martin Griffiths says he cannot see how work can continue when women are banned from being employed by humanitarian groups

Afghan women workers prepare bread to sell in a market in Kandahar. AFP

The UN could be forced to suspend operations in Afghanistan if the Taliban does not lift a ban on women working for humanitarian groups.

Martin Griffiths, the UN's Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, said he “cannot see” how it could continue its work under the conditions.

“Without women working we can’t deliver for the people who are in fact the primary object of humanitarian assistance, women and girls,” he told Radio 4’s Today show.

“It’s beyond rights. It’s also practical.”

The Taliban issued an order on December 24 barring foreign and domestic humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan from employing women.

It said groups which fail to comply face having their licenses revoked, prompting a coalition of 11 NGOs to suspend their operations in the immediate aftermath.

Afghanistan is currently the only country in the world where girls are banned from attending school because of their gender.

Women had gained rights after the 2001 invasion of the country, which toppled the original Taliban regime.

But they have been steadily stripped away after the fall of Kabul in 2021.

Since then, women have been banned from pursuing higher education and virtually excluded from public life, forced to cover their faces and travel long distances only with a male relative. They have even been barred from attending amusement parks.

The UN Security Council is expected to meet privately next week to discuss the ban on women working for humanitarian groups.

“Without women working in our humanitarian agencies, all of us, NGOs, UN, other agencies, we can’t do the job we are there for,” said Mr Griffiths.

“And we are there for 28 million people in Afghanistan. It’s the largest humanitarian aid programme in the world. And so it’s a body blow against our capacity to deliver what we have in mind.

“If you don’t work with and through women, you will not reach those who are most affected, which is women and girls. So we need women to work. They have a right to as well.”

However, he said the UN would do “everything it could” to stay and deliver aid to the people.

“There are parts of the country now where women can work,” he said.

“So we will be doing everything we can to work around and make things work. I don’t want to speculate at this point as to what happens if the edict is enforced universally. But I have to say I can’t see how we will continue.”

Women describe their experiences since the Taliban took over — in pictures

This combination of photos shows women posing for portraits in different cities in Afghanistan. Since their takeover two years ago, the Taliban have squeezed Afghan women out of public life, imposing suffocating restrictions on where they can work, how they can travel and what they can wear. All photos by AFP

TOLOnews TV anchor Tahmina Usmani, 23, is one of a handful of female journalists who have been able to continue working in the sector. 'I was able to join TOLOnews and be the voice for women in Afghanistan, which makes me feel great,' she says.

TV journalist and university student Farkhunda Muhibi, 21. Muhibi is one of a small number of female journalists who have been able to continue working under the Taliban regime.

Baker Shapari, 40, poses for a portrait in Kandahar. 'During these hard times, it is my job that has made me happy,' she says. 'My husband is jobless, and staying at home. I am able to find food for my children.'

Businesswoman and beekeeper Ghuncha Gul Karimi, 35, poses for a portrait in Herat. Karimi expanded her beekeeping business to produce honey for sale after her husband left the country. 'I've taken up two extra jobs and bought a motorcycle to drive myself from the honey farm and back,' she says. 'I am determined to become the queen of honey bees.'

Artist and art teacher Manezha Sultani, 24, poses for a portrait in Herat. 'Before the Taliban took over, I had no fear - I used to attend exhibitions, go to events and see everything I desired. But when the takeover happened, I was afraid of how it would impact my job and my rights,' she says. 'I have not had any good experiences since the Taliban took over.'

Mathematics and robotics teacher Sumaya Sultani, 27, poses for a portrait in Herat. 'Before the collapse, I participated in international technology events, and I used to work late nights on various projects and coach the Afghan girls’ robotics team. But after the Taliban takeover, everything we worked for and achieved turned to dust.'

Doctor and mental health counsellor Mursal, 35, poses for a portrait at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. Since their takeover a year ago, the Taliban have squeezed Afghan women out of public life, imposing suffocating restrictions on where they can work, how they can travel and what they can wear.

Silk weaver Maryam Osmani, 50, poses for a portrait in Herat.

Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry director Nargis Hashimi, 27, poses for a portrait in Herat.

Radio journalist and artist Rozina Sherzad, 19, poses for a portrait in Kandahar.

Taekwondo athlete Zarghunna Noori, 23, poses for a portrait in Herat.

Student Mahtab Jamshidi, 17, poses for a portrait in Herat.

Seamstress Rozia Khpalwak, 23, poses for a portrait in Kandahar.

Shampoo factory worker Robina, 40, poses for a portrait in Kandahar. There is hardly a woman in the country who has not lost a male relative in successive wars, while many of their husbands, fathers, sons and brothers have also lost their jobs or seen their income shattered as a result of a deepening economic crisis.

The deputy director of the women’s bazaar in Herat, Freshta Ishaqzai, 32.

Shaima Wafa, 40, a cultural affairs reporter for an Iranian media outlet, poses for a portrait in Herat.

Knitter and garment maker Gul Guti, 55, poses for a portrait in Kandahar.

Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan MP and one of the few women who negotiated with the Taliban during the US-sponsored talks in 2020, said the impact of the ban has been immediate on women, many of whom were the breadwinners of the family.

Ms Koofi told Radio 4 she spoke to some of the women about why there is no nationwide reaction by men in the country to the news.

One of their responses was that “males are so disappointed that this is not going to change any time soon because the international community is not exerting the right level of pressure,” she said.

“So instead of facing the Taliban, or raising, resisting this, they are actually thinking of leaving the country. It’s a very dire situation.”

She said the Taliban had been “benefiting” from the humanitarian aid due to the fact they have been controlling the way it was channelled.

Ms Koofi said: “I think it’s time for the world to give them some level of pressure and tell them that this is not going to last forever. They must reverse their decisions otherwise the aid should stop, at least even if it’s temporary.

“They need to be accountable and that’s why temporarily the measure could be unless the women don’t go to the office and work and girls don’t go to universities, the Taliban will not receive humanitarian aid.”

Mr Griffiths denied that the Taliban had benefitted from the assistance, saying all aid and money is “monitored, audited, inspected and vetted”.

“We spend a huge amount of time doing this and we are very experienced in it,” he said.

Mr Griffiths is scheduled to visit Afghanistan in the coming weeks and will seek to hold high-level meetings with the Taliban.

Afghan women living under Taliban rule — in pictures

Women wash freshly dyed silk in a factory in Herat province. Whether Afghan girls receive an education under the Taliban is turning into an issue of wealth, young women living under the regime say. AFP

Afghan women walk in a Kandahar market. Even if Afghan girls can receive an education, the likelihood they will be able to put it to any use is low. AFP

An Afghan women weaves silk to make scarfs and other products inside a workshop in the Zandajan district of Herat province. Many Afghan girls fear the longer they stay away from school, the more pressure will build to conform to patriarchal standards and marry. AFP

Burqa-clad women work in a shampoo factory in Kandahar. AFP

Women make flatbread in a factory in Kandahar. AFP

An Afghan woman begs as Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul. Amnesty International says the Taliban have breached women's and girls' rights to education, work and free movement since they took control of the government. EPA

Afghan women take a selfie at a park in Kabul. The rates of child, early and forced marriage in Afghanistan are increasing under Taliban rule, Amnesty International has said. EPA

Afghan girls paint at a workshop class in Herat. The World Bank estimates that for each year of secondary education, the likelihood of marrying before the age of 18 decreases by five percentage points or more. AFP

Afghan women protest in Kabul. The lives of Afghan women and girls are being destroyed by the Taliban’s crackdown on their human rights, Amnesty has said. AP

An Afghan woman walks in a graveyard in Kabul. EPA

Shgofe, an Afghan newscaster, presents a programme on private channel 1TV in Kabul. Female TV presenters and reporters in Afghanistan continue to appear with their faces covered to comply with a mandate issued by the Taliban. EPA

An Afghan family walk past a market near the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul. AFP

People at Wazir Akbar Khan Hill in Kabul. Whether Afghan girls receive an education under the Taliban is turning into an issue of wealth, young women living under the regime say. AFP

Women browse through garments and fabrics for sale in a stall at a women's handicraft market in Herat. AFP

Brides wait for the start of a mass wedding in Kabul. Dozens of Afghan women, concealed in thick green shawls, were married off in an austere ceremony attended by hundreds of guests and gun-toting Taliban fighters. AFP