OIC Secretary-General Slams Afghan De facto Government’s Ban on Women’s Employment in National and International NGOs

Jeddah, December 26, 2022, SPA -- The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, expressed his exacerbated concerns over a decision issued on Saturday 24 December 2022 by the de facto Ministry of Economy in Kabul ordering all national and international non-government organizations (NGOs) to suspend the employment of female workers until further announcement, as the decision comes hard on the heels of a ban issued earlier barring Afghan females from joining universities. Taha indicated that the move reflects a willful policy by the de facto authorities seeking to further impact Afghan women’s rights. He pointed out that this perplexing decision will not just deprive Afghan women of a source of livelihood for themselves and their families; rather, it will negatively affect humanitarian and relief operations conducted by a wide network of national and international NGOs in favor of vulnerable Afghan communities. The OIC Secretary-General described the ban on women’s employment in national and international NGOs as self-defeating and damaging to the interests of Afghan people, calling on the de facto authorities to revisit this decision for the sake of social inclusion of women and the undisrupted continuation of the much-needed Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) in Afghanistan. --SPA