New York, 9 March 2023 (GNP): The UN representative in Afghanistan issued a warning on Wednesday, saying that a crackdown on women’s rights by the Taliban government is likely to result in a decrease in aid and development financing in the nation, where women fear exclusion from public life as much as a violent death.
Roza Otunbayeva stated that the United Nations has launched its single-largest country aid appeal, asking for $4.6 billion in 2023 to assist in Afghanistan, where two-thirds of the population, or over 28 million people, need it to exist.
However, she informed the UN Security Council that the Taliban administration’s limitations on women pursuing higher education and universities, going to parks, and working for humanitarian organizations had put giving that help in jeopardy. Women are also prohibited from leaving the house.
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“Funding for Afghanistan is likely to decrease if women are not permitted to work,” Otunbayeva warned.
“The amount of US dollar cash shipments needed to fund that aid will fall if the level of help is reduced.”
She claimed that because of the restrictions, conversations about offering more economic aid for items like little infrastructure projects or laws to mitigate the impacts of climate change had been put on hold.
According to Price, the US intended to ensure that “the Taliban is under no misconceptions that they’re able to have it both ways–that they can not honor the obligations that they’ve made to the people of Afghanistan… and not suffer repercussions from the global community.”
The Taliban government claims it upholds women’s rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. The Taliban government came to power in August 2021 after the US-led forces retreated from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
Lana Nusseibeh, the UN ambassador for the United Arab Emirates, claimed that they routinely deny women and girls access to their basic human rights. These choices risk deepening Afghanistan’s isolation from the rest of the world and are not related to Islam or Afghan culture.
With a contribution of more than $1 billion, the US led all donors to the 2022 UN aid plan for Afghanistan. Ned Price, a spokesperson for the US State Department, responded to a question about potential cuts by saying that Washington was examining the effects of the limitations on help supplies and closely working with the UN.
While some Afghan women first claimed they appreciated the Taliban taking over since it put an end to the war, Otunbayeva claimed they rapidly lost hope.
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At the Security Council discussion on Afghanistan, which was held on International Women’s Day, Otunbayeva stated, “They claim their eradication from public life seems to be no better than dreading violent death.
In terms of women’s rights, she claimed Afghanistan was still the most oppressive nation in the world under the Taliban. How any government deserving of the name can rule against the needs of half of its population is difficult to comprehend.
