U.N. official, Taliban minister meet on Afghan women NGO ban

The United Nations says its top official in Kabul has met the Taliban government's economy minister in the Afghan capital

The top U.N. official in Kabul met with a Taliban government minister in Afghanistan's capital on December 26, following a decision by the country’s new rulers to bar women from working for non-governmental organisations, the U.N. mission said.

The measure — the latest in restrictions on women's rights and freedoms in Afghanistan — was announced on Saturday by Qari Din Mohammed Hanif, the Taliban economy minister. It was imposed allegedly because some female NGO employees in Afghanistan were not wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, correctly.

Mr. Hanif at the time said that any organization found not complying with the order will have its license revoked.

The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said in a tweet that its acting head, Ramiz Alakbarov, met with Mr. Hanif on Monday and called for a reversal of the ban.

“Millions of Afghans need humanitarian assistance and removing barriers is vital,” the U.N. said, without providing more details about the meeting.

Since the ban was announced, four major international aid agencies stopped their operations in Afghanistan, saying they could not effectively reach people in desperate need without their female workforce.

The agencies — Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE — have been providing healthcare, education, child protection and nutrition services and support amid plummeting humanitarian conditions.