After the Afghan government made the decision to ban women from studying at university and working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the representative of the United Nations Organization (UN) in the country, Markus Potzel, asked that the measure is lifted in a meeting with Mohamed Khalid Hanafi.
Many countries and organizations expressed their rejection of the measure imposed by the Taliban regime, and even ceased their activities in the country in response to the decision. Meeting in person with the acting Taliban Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Potzel argued that these bans are “a discriminatory act against women” and remarked that “they are preventing Afghans from receiving essential help to survive “.
Likewise, the deputy representative of the UN in Afghanistan highlighted the negative impact that the measure had on the Afghan economy and asked the minister to contemplate “the urgent uprising.”
At the time of announcing the ban, the Afghan Economy Minister stated that “there have been serious complaints about non-compliance with the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations regarding women’s work in national and international organizations.”
As a result, NGOs such as Save the Children, World Vision International, CARE International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the UN decided to temporarily suspend their programs in the country since then.
