A warning was issued by a senior Taliban leader to the United
Nations Security Council, urging the council to abandon its "failed policy
of pressure". This was after the council unanimously passed a resolution
condemning Kabul's increasing restrictions on women. The resolution expressed
that the ban on women working for the United Nations and NGOs in Afghanistan
goes against human rights and humanitarian principles. The council called for
all states and organizations to use their influence to reverse these policies
and practices urgently.
Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021 after ousting
the foreign-backed government, the group has implemented a strict version of
Sharia law, which the United Nations has labeled "gender-based
apartheid". Women have been prohibited from attending most secondary
schools and universities, excluded from most government jobs and NGOs, and
barred from public spaces like gyms and parks.
Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban leader without an official
government role, stated that the council "shouldn't continue the failed
policy of pressure". He said on Twitter that any position not based on a
deep understanding would be ineffective and wouldn't yield desired results.
Haqqani suggested that the council remove diplomatic and financial sanctions
imposed on various officials, which "amounts to collective punishment of
Afghans."
The Russian ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, signed the
resolution but criticized its content. He expressed disappointment and regret
that Western colleagues blocked steps and a more ambitious approach and texts.
Nebenzia also questioned the sincerity of Western nations and suggested that
they return the $7 billion in Afghan central bank assets frozen after the
Taliban seized power.
Amnesty International welcomed the Security Council's
resolution but noted that it did not offer concrete steps for member states to
take to restore the rights of women and girls or hold Afghanistan's rulers
accountable. On April 4, the United Nations announced that the Taliban had banned
Afghan women from working in its offices across the country. This move received
widespread condemnation, and the United Nations began a review of its
Afghanistan operations, which will last until May 5.
The United Nations has stressed the dire economic and
humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the critical importance of
maintaining a UN presence in Afghanistan and other UN agencies. UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has organized a meeting in Doha with envoys
from various countries next week to "reinvigorate the international
engagement around the common objectives for a durable way forward on the
situation in Afghanistan."
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