Canada's International Development Minister calls on the Taliban to rescind a decision that banned women from working for NGOs in Afghanistan. Harjit Sajjan's comments came as several leading international aid groups announced plans to suspend operations in a country that was taken over by the Taliban, a designated terrorist organization, in August 2021.
Millions of people have been driven into poverty since and are now facing starvation, with the UN estimating that up to six million Afghans are now in danger of starvation. The International Committee of the Red Cross has also reported a rise in child malnutrition and pneumonia, and concerns are only growing with winter approaching.
Canadian aid groups already said that they were not able to provide assistance because the Canadian government has not found a way around its counterterrorism laws, which officials warned groups might violate if they paid people in Afghanistan for services like transport or buying goods.
Citing the Canadian sanctions, a spokesman for the Canadian Red Cross - part of the aid groups coalition pushing Premier Justin Trudeau's government to find accommodations so it could operate in the region - said they were unaffected by the Taliban's decision.
"Our government is deeply concerned about the recent decision by the Taliban to ban (non-governmental organizations) women employees from doing their important work in Afghanistan," Sajjan said in a statement Sunday.
"They are contributing to the critical work of meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of the Afghan people. We urge the Taliban to reverse this decision because it will only lead to greater suffering of the Afghan people.’’
His office added that Sajjan is assessing the impact the move will have on any plans to reach out to international partners and international groups in the region.
Sajjan said his government plans to review the criminal code to allow aid groups a way out but said the changes cannot come in until at least the spring of 2023. The Taliban's ban on women working at NGO facilities has caused an outcry from international aid organizations like Unicef, whose executive director called the move "a flagrant violation" of international humanitarian and women's rights law.
コメント