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NRC resumes operations in parts of Afghanistan with male and female staff
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced on Sunday that the council has resumed humanitarian operations with “equal participation” of male and female staff in different regions of Afghanistan.
“I am glad to confirm that we have been able to resume most of our humanitarian operations in Kandahar as well as a number of other regions in Afghanistan,” Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, tweeted.
Egeland further stated that: “All our work is for women & men, girls & boys alike, & with equal participation of our female & male humanitarian colleagues.”
The IEA has not yet commented on the NRC’s announcement.
This comes after Egeland said last month that key Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials told him in meetings that they are close to finalizing guidelines that will allow Afghan women to resume work at nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
But they were unable to give a timeline or details when pressed, he said.
The IEA last December barred Afghan women from working at NGOs, allegedly because they were not wearing the hijab correctly and were not observing gender segregation rules.
In April, they extended the ban to UN offices and agencies in Afghanistan. There are exemptions in some sectors like health care and education.
In January, the IEA said they were working on guidelines for women to return to work at NGOs. They previously said they were working on guidelines so that girls and young women could return to education but these have yet to materialize.
During his visit to the country in May, Egeland hoped to persuade the IEA to reverse the ban on the organization’s female staff.
Egeland met the Kandahar deputy governor, Mawlawi Hayatullah Mubarak, who he described as having “direct contact with and links” to the IEA’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who ordered the education and NGO bans. He also met the head of Kandahar’s Economy Directorate, Mawlawi Abdul Salam Baryali.
“The authorities in Kandahar have a special position since the emir (Akhundzada) sits in Kandahar,” he said at the time.
“Whatever agreement we can get in Kandahar can have a national impact. These guidelines are close to being finalized and should soon be put into effect that is what was conveyed.”
Egeland said he pressed the officials for a timeline and clarity on the word “soon” but they didn’t elaborate.
He was told the IEA couldn’t guarantee anything as everything needed to be put to the supreme leadership. They also told him they had been working on the NGO matter for months and that most issues have been resolved.
The guidelines are likely to cover dress codes, gender segregation in the workplace, and a chaperone for travel.
The Norwegian Refugee Council stood to lose 40% of its funding for Afghanistan because of the bans on female employment and education, he said.
He said the potential loss meant a 40% drop in the number of people reached.
The agency has also laid off 220 of its 1,500 workforce and closed five offices. But it retains male and female Afghan staff who have been unable to work because of the bans. The agency is not deploying male-only teams.
“I believe their promises,” he said last month of the IEA. “But I can only accept the facts.”
The IEA has repeatedly told senior humanitarian officials visiting Afghanistan since December that the NGO restrictions are temporary suspensions, not a ban.
Nooruddin Azizi, Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, met on Thursday with Sadin Ayyıldız, Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish Embassy in Kabul. During the meeting, Ayyıldız invited the Minister of Industry and Commerce to participate in Turkey’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry, the meeting also emphasized the economic, trade, and historical relations between Kabul and Ankara, as well as the export of Afghan goods to Turkey.
The two sides discussed increasing trade volume between the two countries, strengthening economic relations, facilitating and enhancing commercial activities, cooperation in road transport along various routes, activating the Lapis Lazuli Corridor, and regional cooperation.
Azizi, while thanking Turkey for inviting the Islamic Emirate to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, introduced the Ministry’s technical team to ensure better coordination and planning.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum is an international conference held annually in Turkey, aimed at examining global challenges and finding joint solutions through dialogue and diplomacy. It hosts representatives from more than 100 countries, including presidents, leaders, high-ranking officials, international organizations, analysts, and media from various countries.
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate, in a telephone conversation initiated by Mohammad Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, discussed regional developments, particularly the recent situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, said in a statement that Hassan Akhund stated during the call that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s principled position is clear and that it believes in resolving issues through mutual understanding and cooperation.
Hassan Akhund added that during Eid al-Fitr, at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, the Islamic Emirate demonstrated its goodwill by respecting a pause in defensive operations.
He stated that violence benefits no party and that actions that increase tensions should be avoided, emphasizing that wisdom and rationality must guide efforts to resolve problems.
He also expressed concern over rising regional tensions following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The Malaysian Prime Minister also expressed concern about the regional situation and hoped that the temporary halt in hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan would continue, and that existing problems could be resolved through sincere negotiations and understanding.
He added that Malaysia aims to play a positive role in facilitating understanding between both parties.
Israel’s defence minister says that an Israeli air strike has killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy.
The killing was carried out “last night, in a precise and lethal operation” and targeted other “senior officers of the naval command”, said Israel Katz, in a video statement.
“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated,” he claimed.
Since the start of the joint US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the assassination of several top Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Republic ‘s powerful security chief, Ali Larijani.
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said there was no official Iranian confirmation yet of Tangsiri’s killing.
“But if it’s true it’s going to be another major blow for a country that has already experienced a lot of military commanders being killed” since the war began, he said.
The head of the Basij paramilitary forces, Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib were also assassinated in Israeli attacks.
Moreover, in recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.
Last week, Israeli airstrikes hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels, and patrol craft.
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