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UN Afghan staff told to stay home as IEA signals UN female ban
The United Nations told some 3,300 Afghan staff not to come to work in Afghanistan for the next two days after the Islamic Emirate authorities signaled on Tuesday that they would enforce a ban on Afghan women working for the world body, Reuters reported.
UN officials in Afghanistan “received word of an order by the Islamic Emirate authorities that bans female national staff members of the United Nations from working,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
The UN is looking into impacts and will meet with Afghan foreign ministry officials in Kabul on Wednesday to seek further clarity, he said. About 400 Afghan women work for the UN, read the report.
Two UN sources told Reuters that concerns over enforcement had prompted the organization to ask all staff – male and female – not to come to work for 48 hours. Friday and Saturday are normally weekend days in Afghanistan, meaning UN staff would not return until Sunday at the earliest.
The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) earlier on Tuesday expressed concern that female staff in the eastern province of Nangarhar had been stopped from reporting to work.
“There was a much more official communication made in (Nangarhar provincial capital) Jalalabad. We were told through various conduits that this applied to the whole country,” Dujarric, adding there was nothing writing.
“Female staff members are essential for the United Nations to deliver life-saving assistance,” he said, adding that some 23 million people – more than half Afghanistan’s population – need humanitarian aid.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) administration and the Afghan information ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters reported.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the ban enforcement in Nangarhar, posting on Twitter: “If this measure is not reversed, it will inevitably undermine our ability to deliver life-saving aid to the people who need it.”
The IEA administration, which seized power as US-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Since toppling the Western-backed government in Kabul, the IEA have tightened controls over women’s access to public life, including barring women from university and closing most girls’ high schools, Reuters reported.
In December, IEA authorities stopped most female humanitarian aid employees from working, which aid workers say has made it more difficult to reach women in need and could lead donors to hold back funding.
The restrictions did not initially apply to the UN and some other international organizations. In January, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed flagged concerns that authorities could next restrict Afghan women working at international organizations.
It was not immediately clear whether foreign embassies in Kabul had received similar instructions on female staff.
A ban on Afghan female UN workers could pose major challenges to continued UN operations in Afghanistan. The founding UN Charter states that no restrictions be placed on the eligibility of men and women to work for the UN.
Aid officials have also flagged the risk that donor countries will reduce funding due to frustration over restrictions on women as other international crises take hold, Reuters reported.
The UN has made its single-largest country aid appeal ever, asking for $4.6 billion in 2023 to deliver assistance in Afghanistan. So far it is less than 5% funded.
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Islamic Emirate’s army now self-sufficient, says chief of army staff
Mohammad Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, says that over the past four years, the army forces of the Islamic Emirate have shown no hesitation in defending and protecting Afghanistan, and that today the country’s army is standing on its own feet.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Fitrat made these remarks at a meeting with media representatives, political analysts, and a number of government officials aimed at coordination and strengthening cooperation. He added: “Nations that cannot stand on their own feet and rely on others, even if they grow, will not be capable of achieving real progress.”
Fitrat also expressed appreciation for the role of the media in ensuring security and in supporting the country’s defense forces, stating: “We and you, as citizens of this land, must put our hands together and build the country together, take pride in our forces, and strive with all our strength for the country’s development. We have created an army that defends honor, territorial integrity, and the borders of the country, and serves as the guardian of our freedom.”
He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is working to establish an army equipped with modern weapons so that it can defend the country’s territory under all circumstances.
He stated that the country’s army has proven to the people that anyone who looks at this land with ill intent will face a firm and courageous response, and that it has also been made clear to neighboring countries that any aggression against Afghanistan will be met with a response several times stronger.
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Afghan health minister attends second WHO summit in India
Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate, participated in the second World Health Organization meeting on traditional medicine during his official visit to India.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health said that the meeting was held in India with the participation of representatives from around 100 countries, health ministers from 23 countries, professional experts from various nations, and officials from different departments of the World Health Organization.
During the meeting, discussions were held on the standardization of traditional medicine, training of individuals active in this field, recognition of traditional medicine as an established reality, and the sharing of countries’ experiences in this area.
The ministry stated that the purpose of participating in the conference was to standardize traditional medicine in Afghanistan, adding that for several decades this sector has been practiced in a non-standard manner and without a defined curriculum or clear principles.
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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.
During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.
Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.
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