A group of civil society and human rights activists, as well as protesting women, have written an open letter to the United Nations expressing their concerns over the recognition of the Taliban. The letter states that the people of Afghanistan are worried and terrified by the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s proposal to grant “recognition” to the Taliban.
The signatories of the letter express their apprehension regarding the recent order of the Taliban to ban women from working in UN offices in Afghanistan. They argue that recognizing a regime that enforces gender apartheid not only violates the human rights of Afghan people, but also undermines the values that the United Nations says it upholds.
In the letter, they say women in Afghanistan have been deprived of their most basic rights, and even their access to vital services, including healthcare.
Furthermore, the Taliban’s recent decree banning women from working in UN offices has been issued during a time when the country is also struggling with a large scale humanitarian disaster, threatening the survival of 28 million people that requires effective management of humanitarian aid.
The signatories argue that the United Nations faces a difficult decision in how to deal with the Taliban, but points out that to pursue humanitarian action under the rules of the Taliban will only further deprive women of the most vital services and further eliminate them from the public arena.
The open letter concludes with recommendations to the United Nations, urging Amina Mohammed to withdraw her statements or take back her words regarding Taliban recognition.
The signatories request that the United Nations stand firm on its principles and put pressure on the Taliban to revoke restrictive policies against women’s rights, including the immediate abolition of the ban on women working in its offices.
They also support the demand of protesting women inside Afghanistan to suspend the activities of UN offices in the country until women are allowed to return to work. Furthermore, they ask the UN to share the results of any interaction and negotiations with the Taliban.
Heather Barr, Associate Women’s Rights Director for Human Rights Watch, has taken to Twitter to express her serious concern over how the UN meeting with Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, and the envoys from various countries for Afghanistan are handling their discussions.
In a recent twitter thread, Barr calls for women to be represented at the closed-door meeting on May 1-2, pointing out that “No women have been invited”.
