The foreign ministers of twelve countries, including the Netherlands, have urged the Taliban to allow women to work for development organizations active in the country. Women have been banned from working for non-governmental organizations since last weekend.
Ministers from the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands issued a statement on Wednesday calling the Taliban’s restriction “reckless and dangerous.”
According to the ministers, the lives of millions of Afghans are at risk. Many people depend on humanitarian aid.
Earlier in the day, the United Nations warned it would have to halt humanitarian projects in Afghanistan if the work ban remained in place. Some UN aid efforts in the country have already been halted after the loss of female employees.
