(Islamabad) The United Nations will continue to engage with all actors in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, a UN spokesperson said.
The statement comes after Afghan leaders cut ties with the UN mission over criticism of its policy banning women from speaking or being bare-faced in public.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric defended the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and its head, Roza Otunbayeva, in New York, saying the new laws offered a “worrying vision” of Afghanistan’s future.
PHOTO BEBETO MATTHEWS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Stéphane Dujarric, UN spokesperson
She said last week that the laws extend “already intolerable restrictions” on the rights of women and girls, with “even the sound of a female voice” outside the home considered a moral violation.
The laws were enacted after being approved by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The Taliban had created a ministry for the “propagation of virtue and prevention of vice” after taking power in 2021. They say the laws are based on their interpretation of Sharia law.
The ministry called on international organizations, countries and individuals to respect the religious values of Muslims. It announced on Friday that it would no longer cooperate with UNAMA because of its criticism of the laws.
“We have been very critical of the decision to almost completely eliminate the presence of women in Afghanistan. As for contacts with the de facto authorities, I want to say that we will continue to work with all actors in Afghanistan, including the Taliban,” Dujarric told a news conference.
“We have always done it in accordance with our mandate and I would say impartially and in good faith, always respecting the standards of the UN, getting our message across on human rights and equality. We will continue our work as mandated by the Security Council.”