No humanitarian organization can deliver assistance at full capacity without female staff
Yesterday the IEA notified the UN that no Afghan woman is permitted to work for the UN in Afghanistan, and that this measure will be actively enforced. This decision extends the directive previously announced on 24 December 2022, banning Afghan women working for national and international non-governmental organizations.
MSF strongly condemns this decision by the Afghan authorities. No country can thrive when half of its population is marginalized and systematically discriminated against, and no humanitarian organisation, however big or small, can deliver assistance at full capacity without female staff. This decision by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is just another step in their systematic attempt to exclude women from every aspect of public life. It will only worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
In order for essential services to be available to women and men, they must be delivered by women and men. For that reason, MSF in Afghanistan remains committed to providing medical care to all who need it. We maintain our current teams as they are.
