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NRC chief writes to Kandahar governor, clerics over ban on female workers
Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, has written a letter to the governor and members of Ulema Council in Kandahar, calling for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to reverse its ban on women working for non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Speaking in an interview with Ariana News that was broadcast on Friday, Egeland said they would resume operations with women observing Islamic principles and Afghan culture if IEA allows them to work for NGOs.
“Giving aid only to males would be bad aid, and we would be a bad employer. It is not that we are suspending work. We have been forced to stop by this edict, and it is the first time in 20 years that we have been totally paralyzed,” Egeland said.
He said that the ban on women’s work is against IEA’s promises.
“This is also against the promises from high-level Taliban (IEA) leaders in Doha, in Oslo, in Islamabad and here in Afghanistan where we worked in Taliban-controlled areas for more than a decade, we had schools in Taliban areas. We have a long history of working with them and this is a real blow. I feel disappointed. I feel that they did not keep their word to me,” Egeland said.
IEA last month ordered all local and foreign aid groups to stop letting female staff work until further notice.
The IEA said the move, which was condemned globally, was justified because some women had not adhered to the Islamic dress code.
Many NGOs suspended operations in response, saying they needed female workers to reach women in the country.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Finance, Mohammad Nasir Akhund, has travelled to Iran at the head of a delegation following an official invitation from Iran’s Minister of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance said.
During the visit, Akhund is expected to meet with various Iranian officials to discuss bilateral economic, trade, customs and other related issues.
The visit will also include discussions on key topics for an upcoming meeting of the joint economic commission between Afghanistan and Iran.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, on Saturday inaugurated the rehabilitated 110-kilovolt (kV) power transmission line connecting Maimana and Andkhoy in Faryab province.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for Economic Affairs, the completion of the project will provide around 60,000 consumers with a more stable and reliable electricity supply.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Baradar said the project would help meet local electricity needs, expand industrial activities and contribute to the region’s economic and social development.
He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) had implemented several electricity generation and transmission projects in a relatively short period, reducing reliance on imported electricity and power outages while creating new opportunities for industrial growth.
Baradar also said several major electricity infrastructure projects would be implemented over the next year to ensure a sustainable power supply, adding that the country’s existing electricity capacity would increase several times.
Addressing Afghanistan’s security situation, Baradar said the country was currently experiencing a level of security that he claimed was unmatched in most countries. He added that foreign tourists and visitors had continued to travel to Afghanistan since the IEA returned to power, including to remote areas of the country.
He rejected security-related concerns raised by some countries over travel to Afghanistan, describing them as unfounded and politically motivated. He called on the international community to strengthen meaningful engagement with Afghanistan based on realities on the ground.
Baradar also invited domestic and foreign investors to invest in Afghanistan, saying a secure and suitable environment had been created for large- and medium-scale investments.
The UN refugee agency’s representative in Afghanistan has called on the international community to maintain their support for Afghanistan, warning that the return of more than 6.5 million Afghans over the past three years has placed significant pressure on the country.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, made the remarks during the eighth International Conference on Action with Women and Peace in Seoul, South Korea, where he highlighted the challenges facing returnees amid poverty, drought and climate-related disasters.
He said the returning population accounts for around 15 percent of Afghanistan’s total population, describing the influx as one of the world’s largest movements of people. He added that Afghanistan was struggling to absorb the large-scale returns due to its existing economic and humanitarian challenges.
Jamal also highlighted difficulties facing Afghan women, saying that the absence of war does not necessarily mean all citizens enjoy safety.
In a separate interview with The Korea Times during his visit to Seoul, Jamal said supporting refugees and vulnerable countries was not simply an act of charity but an investment in a safer and more stable international environment.
He stressed that Afghanistan’s strategic location, bordering seven countries including China, Pakistan and Iran, makes its stability a matter of wider international concern. Although the country is relatively calm at present, he cautioned that this situation should not be taken for granted without continued international support.
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