the main United Nations humanitarian coordinator for AfghanistanMartin Griffiths, has warned that the general humanitarian aid program for the Central Asian country could end up conditioned by the veto imposed by the Taliban against female education and against their performance as workers of non-governmental organizations.
The ban against female aid workers has meant that some 150 key NGOs for the redistribution of aid -generally in cash, due to US sanctions against the fundamentalist movement– that the UN hands over to the country, have had to partially suspend their tasks and generated an alarm situation in the dead of winter that has prompted Griffiths’ imminent visit to Afghanistan to discuss the situation with humanitarian officials.
In addition, United Nations flights carrying such aid have been partially suspended waiting for the Taliban to rectify their conduct.
“Without women who work, we cannot keep our promises to the people, the main objective of humanitarian aid. It goes beyond being a matter of rights. It’s a practical matter.” has explained in statements to the BBC.
In the same interview, Griffiths has qualified that the Taliban veto does not seem to be widespread, but it is widespread enough for the UN to be rethinking the aid program. “Right now there are places in the country where women seem to be able to work. But I don’t want to speculate what to do with a veto that is not being applied universally. Right now, I don’t see how we can continue with this situation,” he said.
Source: Lasexta
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