UN humanitarian chief: Women essential for operation in Afghanistan

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has briefed member states today on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and on his recent visit to the country as part of an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) mission, stressing that women are an essential, central component of the humanitarian operation in Afghanistan

In a briefing to Member states Wednesday, the Emergency Relief Coordinator said that the IASC mission told the de facto authorities that a 24 December 2022 edict barring women from working for national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is doing no favors for the people of Afghanistan. Women are an essential, central component of the humanitarian operation in Afghanistan, Griffiths stressed, noting that, if the ban is not revoked, more exceptions are needed to allow female aid workers to resume their activities.  

Griffiths also underscored that humanitarian agencies will continue to work and be present in Afghanistan unless there is a blanket opposition to women working.  He said the humanitarian community does not go on strike, but seeks ways to work in a principled manner. 

On Monday, the UN humanitarian chief briefed reporters at the United Nations in New York on his recent visit to Afghanistan. Griffiths said that he is awaiting a list of guidelines from Taliban authorities to allow Afghan women to work in the humanitarian sector, following a decree last month that has restricted their work.

"Let's see if these guidelines do come through; let's see if they are beneficial; let's see what space there is for the essential and central role of women in our humanitarian operations," Martin Griffiths told reporters at the United Nations in New York, following his visit last week to Kabul with the heads of several international aid organizations.

On December 24, the Taliban announced a ban on Afghan women working with domestic and international aid groups, leading some international NGOs to suspend their work. Since ousting the previous government in August 2021, the Taliban administration has not received any formal international recognition.

Griffiths, along with a senior UNICEF official, the president of Save the Children U.S. and the secretary-general of Care International, went to Kabul last week, where they met with nine senior Taliban officials. The Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs said they included the de facto foreign minister, economy minister, minister of interior, and the first and second deputy prime ministers. 

After the December 24 decree, the de facto health minister said it would not apply to his sector. There were also some exceptions made in the education sector, although women and girls have been banned since last month from attending school past the sixth grade.

"In addition to making clear our grave concern about the edict itself, we then also said, OK, if you're not rescinding the edict now, then we must expand these exceptions to cover all the aspects of humanitarian action," Griffiths said his delegation told the Taliban. He said in their meetings, they were told that "such arrangements would be forthcoming" and they should be "patient.

"Everybody has opinions as to whether it's going to work or not," Griffiths said on whether the guidelines will be helpful. "Our view is that the message has clearly been delivered that women are central, essential workers in the humanitarian sector, in addition to having rights, and we need to see them back to work."

Griffiths said that without more exceptions to the bans it would be a "potential death blow" to many vital humanitarian programs in Afghanistan. "The case has been made, and we are waiting for the judge to come out with a verdict," he said of their meetings with the Taliban officials.

The visit by Griffiths and his colleagues followed one by Deputy U.N. Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and the head of U.N. Women. They also met with several Taliban leaders and lobbied them to reverse the edict restricting access to education for Afghan women and girls.

Afghanistan remains in the grips of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Millions in in the country are experiencing misery and hunger amid decades of conflict. The cumulative effects of violent conflict, internal displacement, drought and other natural disasters have drastically increased humanitarian needs throughout Afghanistan. 

The collapse of the country’s economy is further exacerbating humanitarian needs.  Millions of Afghans – particularly children and women – need urgent life-saving humanitarian assistance. The UN estimates that 28.3 million people - two-thirds of the country’s population - require humanitarian aid in 2023, an increase of 16 % compared to the previous year. Among those in need are 15.3 million boys and girls.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee is the longest-standing and highest-level humanitarian coordination forum of the UN system, bringing together the executive heads of 18 UN and non-UN organizations to ensure coherence of preparedness and response efforts, formulate policy, and agree on priorities for strengthened humanitarian action. The IASC was established in June 1992, following a UN General Assembly resolution.

Further information

Full text: Daily UN Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 1 February 2023, transcript
https://press.un.org/en/2023/db230201.doc.htm

Full text: Press conference by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths upon his return from Afghanistan, New York, 30 January 2023, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs press release
https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/press-conference-un-under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-martin-griffiths-upon-his-return-afghanistan-new-york-30-january-2023