UN expert urges Taliban to reverse ban on women staff entering UN premises

A UN expert on Sunday called for the reversal of the ban on women staff entering UN premises in Afghanistan, condemning the Taliban measures as a violation of UN principles of equality and human rights.

According to Susan Ferguson, the UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan, the ban on Afghan women staff and contractors entering UN premises threatens life-saving services following recent earthquakes in eastern and northern Afghanistan. Ferguson noted that despite the ban, women workers and contractors have been working with high professionalism from their “homes and communities,” supporting returnees from Pakistan and Iran, and the demand for food, clean water, and healthcare by women and children affected by the earthquakes.

In early November, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit