Taliban Block UN Female Staff, Hinder Afghanistan Earthquake Aid

The United Nations is urgently calling on the Taliban interim government in Afghanistan to lift restrictions preventing local female staff from working, as these measures are severely hindering critical humanitarian relief efforts following a deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban have barred Afghan women from accessing UN compounds and workplaces across the country, including offices in Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif, forcing female UN employees to work from home or halt activities altogether. This crackdown on female workers has disrupted essential aid delivery, with agencies like the UNHCR suspending cash assistance programs for returning migrants due to the inability to safely provide services without female staff. UN officials and human rights experts warn that these restrictions further isolate Afghanistan and worsen the humanitarian crisis, especially as winter approaches and affected areas remain cut off by damaged infrastructure. Despite previous agreements exempting female UN workers from such bans, the Taliban's renewed enforcement disregards these arrangements, prompting international appeals for immediate reversal to ensure aid reaches vulnerable populations. The UN continues to seek pragmatic solutions with Taliban authorities to restore women's participation in aid work, emphasizing that female staff are crucial for culturally appropriate and effective humanitarian support.