The Taliban continue to oppress women. Last weekend, the Islamists who ruled Afghanistan ordered that national and international aid agencies would no longer allow women to work for them until further notice.
Many aid organizations therefore had to interrupt their work – including those financed with Swiss money, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs EDA confirms. “Some of the organizations working in Afghanistan have temporarily suspended their work,” said a spokesman.
Further steps are being explored
Whether and how support can be provided in the future is currently being evaluated. “Due to ongoing development, it is too early to say anything specific at this time about the effects on the Swiss-funded projects.”
The FDFA immediately condemned the move in a tweet and is currently exploring further steps with the international community, the department continues.
According to the Taliban, the reason for the work ban is that the women did not comply with the Taliban leadership’s regulations regarding wearing a hijab, or headscarf. If an organization does not comply with this order, its license will be revoked, according to the letter from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
No entry without women
A major problem for the population, as Ursula Läubli of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (Deza) says on the FDFA website: without women, aid can only reach the needy population in isolated cases – others often have no access. “This worries us because at least half of those who depend on aid in Afghanistan are women.”
This is also confirmed by Michael Kunz, president of the Swiss association Aid to Afghanistan: “Without women at the front – for example, midwives, educators, nurses – we cannot provide help to girls and women,” he told CH Media.
No more office in Kabul
The federal government provides humanitarian aid to Afghanistan in the order of $30 million annually. In 2022, 55 percent of the amount will go to the United Nations organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The remaining 45 percent is divided between international NGOs – mainly the Agha Khan Foundation and the Norwegian Refugee Council – and an Afghan NGO.
Switzerland itself is no longer active in Afghanistan: it closed its cooperation office in Kabul in August 2021. Accordingly, the federal government no longer has any Swiss or Afghan employees on site (sf/SDA)