Heads of major aid groups are pressing the Taliban to reverse their decision to ban Afghan women from working for national and international nongovernmental groups, the UN humanitarian chief said on Wednesday.
The Taliban move last month to bar women from NGO work prompted major international aid agencies to suspend operations in Afghanistan, though some have since resumed their work in parts of the country.
It also raised fears that millions will be deprived of critical services — some 28 million Afghans, or over half of the country's population, need urgent humanitarian assistance.
The UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, and the heads of Care International, Save the Children US and UNICEF programs are in Afghanistan this week, following a visit by a senior UN delegation last week that sought to persuade the Taliban to end their crackdown on women and girls, including its ban on Afghan women working for national and global humanitarian organisations.