KABUL, Afghanistan — UK Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Robert Dickson, urged Taliban officials to reverse their ban on women’s medical education during a recent visit to Kabul, warning that the restriction will endanger the lives of women and girls across the country.
According to a statement from the U.K. Mission on Tuesday, Dickson met with Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to raise concerns over the ban’s severe humanitarian consequences.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of a ban on women accessing medical education and training in Afghanistan, including preventing women from becoming midwives and nurses,” Dickson said. “We strongly condemn this decision and urge Taliban leaders to reverse this latest restriction.”
Dickson cited data from the World Health Organization (WHO) that ranks Afghanistan as having the ninth-highest maternal mortality rate in the world, underscoring the critical need for female healthcare workers in the country.
“This will threaten the lives and health of countless women and girls who will be denied critical medical care, as well as their children,” he added.
Support for the Doha process
Dickson also reaffirmed the U.K.’s support for the United Nations-led Doha process, which seeks to assess Afghanistan’s political and humanitarian situation.
“The U.K. supports the U.N. independent assessment on Afghanistan as the best way forward for fully integrating Afghanistan into the international system,” he said. “There are many potential areas for collaboration, but the U.K. needs to see positive movement by the Taliban towards upholding its international human rights obligations.”
Broader engagement in Afghanistan
In addition to his meeting with Taliban officials, Dickson held talks with Afghan women, representatives from humanitarian NGOs, members of the private sector, and diplomatic envoys.
The U.K. remains one of Afghanistan’s largest humanitarian donors, pledging £161 million (14.1 billion Afghanis) in aid for the fiscal year running from April 2024 to March 2025. Dickson highlighted the crucial role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in delivering life-saving assistance amid the country’s deepening economic and social crises.
The visit comes as the Taliban face mounting international condemnation for their widening restrictions on women’s rights, particularly their bans on education, employment, and public participation.
Since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban have systematically dismantled opportunities for women, drawing sharp criticism from governments, human rights organizations, and aid agencies.
Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with millions of Afghans reliant on international assistance to meet basic needs.
