The bill, co-presented by Turkey, was unanimously approved by the 15-member UNSC.
The resolution called on the Taliban administration to quickly “return” bans on women.
The decision, which drew attention to the fact that the said bans violated human rights, condemned the decision of the Taliban administration that banned women from working in the UN.
While emphasizing the essential role of women in Afghan society, the resolution called on the Taliban administration to restore women’s education, employment, freedom of movement and equal participation in public life.
In the resolution, which emphasized the importance of dialogue, consultation and engagement between Afghan parties and the international community, diplomatic efforts in this direction were welcomed.
The draft resolution prepared by the United Arab Emirates and Japan required at least 9 votes.
Taliban bans on female personnel
With the Taliban’s coming to the administration of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, serious restrictions were imposed on women’s work and girls’ education in the country.
Girls were prevented from receiving education in secondary and high schools, and in December 2022, in universities. Also in December, Afghan women were suspended from working in local and foreign non-governmental organizations.
In addition, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that Afghan female UN staff in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan were prevented from going to work, “We would like to remind the authorities that the UN cannot function without female staff and provide life-saving assistance.” made his statement.
Following the Taliban’s decision to suspend the education of female students, on December 24, 2022, the employment of female personnel in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was suspended until further notice. It was noted that the licenses of NGOs that did not terminate the employment of female personnel would be revoked.
Thereupon, some international aid organizations in the country such as Save The Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE stopped their work. The decision of the Taliban was reacted by the European Union, the UN, the USA and many countries.