United Nations delegation led by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, which is in Kabul to promote the rights of women and girls in the wake of a recent Taliban crackdown in Afghanistan, met with former president Hamid Karzai on Wednesday, according to Karzai’s office.
Photographs of the meeting were posted on Karzai’s official Twitter page. The delegation include UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.
The importance of education was discussed in the meeting and both sides stressed the need for reopening of schools and universities for women and girls in Afghanistan, Karzai’s office said.
He also emphasized the importance of a national dialogue and said it needs to be started as quickest as possible.
Taliban in December 2022 ordered all local and foreign aid groups to stop letting female staff work until further notice. It followed a ban imposed earlier last month on women attending universities. Girls were stopped from attending high school in March 2022.
Three aid agencies, including CARE and Save the Children, have resumed part of their activities in Afghanistan, especially in health and nutrition.
The UN Security Council met privately last Friday (January 13) – at the request of the United Arab Emirates and Japan – to discuss the decisions by the Taliban-led administration, according to Reuters report.
The United States on Friday pushed the 15-member council to adopt a resolution calling on the Taliban to reverse the bans on women, diplomats said as quoted by Reuters.
