United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a sharp condemnation of the Taliban’s decision to bar Afghan women from working with UN agencies, warning that the move is both indefensible and catastrophic for a country already gripped by crisis.
Addressing journalists at UN Headquarters, Guterres said the exclusion of women from humanitarian work undermines the delivery of life-saving aid and further endangers millions of Afghans dependent on international assistance. “Denying women the right to contribute to humanitarian relief is not only unacceptable but an act of self-sabotage for Afghanistan itself,” he said.
The Secretary-General stressed that the UN was intensifying diplomatic pressure on the Taliban and rallying international consensus to reverse the restrictions. He emphasised that ensuring Afghan women’s participation in aid operations is essential to guarantee that assistance effectively reaches families, particularly women and children who make up the majority of those in need.
Guterres warned that the new curbs represented a deepening of Afghanistan’s humanitarian emergency. “By preventing women from delivering aid, the crisis expands from deprivation to deliberate obstruction,” he said, underscoring that such measures erode trust and violate fundamental human rights.
His remarks follow a decision by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to suspend cash support for returning refugees after the Taliban barred its female employees from work. Aid organisations have similarly cautioned that the restrictions are crippling relief operations at a time when the UN estimates two-thirds of Afghanistan’s population requires some form of humanitarian assistance.
Since retaking power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping curbs on women’s participation in public life — including bans on secondary and higher education, most forms of employment, and access to public spaces. Rights groups say the latest edict signals not only a deterioration in women’s rights but also a direct threat to the survival of humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan.
