The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) authorities to strive towards reopening schools and universities for girls and enable them to enroll in all levels of education.

In a series of tweets the OIC General Secretariat expressed its disappointment over the decision announced on Saturday by the IEA’s ministry of higher education, banning female students from taking university entrance exams this year in all public and private universities across the country.

“This latest decree further tightens the sweeping restrictions proclaimed by the Kabul de facto authorities on girls’ and women’s access to education and public work,” OIC tweeted.

The ban comes shortly after the OIC Executive Committee convened on 11 January 2023 an Extraordinary Meeting on the “Recent Developments and the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan”.

The Final Communique of the meeting called on the IEA to “…strive towards reopening schools and universities for girls and enable them to enroll in all levels of education and all specializations required by the Afghan people.”

The organization urged IEA to reconsider this latest decision and earlier edicts especially for its far-reaching social and economic ramifications.

United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West is this week visiting Pakistan, Germany, and Switzerland for talks with “partners, Afghans, and humanitarian aid organizations about the shared interests in Afghanistan”, the US State Department said Sunday.

According to the statement, Thomas West’s week-long (January 29 – February 4) visit to Pakistan, Germany, and Switzerland is aimed at consulting with partners and Afghan diasporas on the many challenges the people of Afghanistan, women, and girls in particular are currently facing.

“I will travel to Pakistan, Germany, and Switzerland Jan 29-Feb 4 to consult with partners, Afghans, and humanitarian relief organizations regarding extraordinary challenges we face in supporting the Afghan people,” West tweeted.

Foreign governments and international aid organizations have repeatedly called on the Islamic Emirate authorities to reverse the decision and allow Afghan women and girls to attend education, work, sports, and public life, however, nothing has changed for the better so far.

Heavy snowfall and chilly weather have claimed 170 lives including children and women in Afghanistan over the past three weeks, spokesman for the Ministry of Natural Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs Shafiullah Rahimi said on Sunday.

“A total of 170 people including children and women have lost their lives and 30 others including women and children injured due to chilly weather and snowfall in 24 out of the country’s 34 provinces over the past three weeks,” said Rahimi.

More than 150 residential houses have been completely destroyed or partially damaged over the period, the official said, adding the continued freezing weather and snowfall have also killed about 80,000 cattle including cows, sheep and goats around the country.

The official also called on aid agencies to provide humanitarian assistance to needy Afghan families at this critical stage and help them survive the freezing winter.

In the cash-strapped and war-ravaged country where there is no central heating systems, people often use coal, wood or liquid gas to keep themselves warm, which in many cases claims human lives due to gas leakage or carbon monoxide emission.

This year, the extreme weather has swept through parts of Afghanistan since the first week of January when the temperature fell to minus 30 degrees Celsius in some areas.