The United Nations has called on the Taliban to immediately reverse its ban preventing Afghan women from entering and working in UN offices across Afghanistan. The organisation warned that the restrictions are severely undermining life-saving humanitarian efforts and violating core human rights principles.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed sweeping restrictions on women—barring them from most public spaces, employment opportunities, parks, beauty salons and education beyond the age of 12. The latest directive, issued in September 2025, blocks Afghan women staff members and contractors from entering UN premises nationwide.
Susan Ferguson, the UN Women special representative in Afghanistan, said the ban threatens the foundation of humanitarian work in the country.
“We call for the ban on Afghan women staff and contractors from entering United Nations premises to be reversed,” she said, stressing that the UN cannot operate effectively without its women employees.
Ferguson warned that “the longer these restrictions remain in place, the greater the risk to life-saving services.” She added that the ban violates key UN principles of equality, dignity and human rights.
UN officials did not confirm how many women are affected, but reports indicate several hundred staff members have been barred from office access for over three months, forcing many to work remotely.
Women Staff Called ‘Indispensable’
Despite the restrictions, Afghan women working for the UN continue to provide essential services from home, including support for earthquake survivors and Afghan migrants returning from Pakistan and Iran.
Ferguson highlighted that only women staff can safely and effectively reach Afghan women and girls in need, saying their presence is “crucial” and “culturally indispensable.”
The consequences of the ban have already been felt. In September, the UN refugee agency suspended cash assistance to returning Afghan migrants because the ban prevented staff from interviewing or collecting information from women returnees, who account for more than half of those arriving.
Humanitarian organisations warn that without Afghan women staff, a significant portion of Afghanistan’s vulnerable population will remain unreachable.
