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Serbia urged to uphold freedom of expression while also countering hate speech

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Serbia urged to uphold freedom of expression while also countering hate speech

The Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of expression said she was encouraged by the Government’s plans to reform media laws in line with international standards. 

However, she was also alarmed by “the toxic public discourse, from politicians or public officials and amplified by tabloids, scapegoating the media, human rights defenders, ethnic minorities, LGBTI and those critical of the government.” 

Undermining public trust 

Ms. Khan warned that public trust in the media is undermined when journalists are labelled foreign agents, traitors, or enemies of the State, which increases the likelihood of attacks against the press while also impacting media freedom and democratic debate. 

“Freedom of expression is not a license to harass, intimidate or threaten critical voices,” she stressed. 

She urged the government to ensure that all State bodies implement the constitutional and legal framework upholding freedom of expression while combating hate speech and disinformation

Action against tabloids 

“Given the role that tabloids play in spreading hate speech, I am concerned that the electronic media regulatory body (REM) is failing to take appropriate action against the violators, failing to promote pluralism in media content, and allowing smear campaigns and harassment to continue,” the rights expert said. 

REM must be “independent, effective and accountable,” she advised. 

She also urged the Government to ensure the safety of journalists by taking measures to speed up investigations and legal proceedings related to threats and attacks. 

Political will required 

Ms. Khan called on the authorities to investigate and prosecute longstanding cases of journalists killed in Serbia.  “Killing journalists is the most egregious form of censorship. Impunity must not prevail,” she said. 

Finally, she stressed that the adoption of laws alone was not sufficient to protect freedom of expression.  

“What is needed is strong, unequivocal political leadership from the commitment to international standards. The legal commitments of the Government must be translated into action.” 

Visit to Kosovo 

Ms. Khan also travelled to neighbouring Kosovo during her visit. While welcoming the “pluralistic media landscape” there, she encouraged the authorities to continue to strengthen media freedom.  

“I urge the authorities to fully implement the law on languages and call on the international community to ensure adequate support to independent Serbian language media,” she said.  

They should also complete investigations into past killings and enforced disappearances of journalists, and ensure justice, she added. 

About UN Rapporteurs 

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on specific country situations or thematic issues. 

These experts work on a voluntary basis and serve in their individual capacity. 

They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work. 

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‘The world cannot abandon the people’: Top humanitarian official in Afghanistan

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‘The world cannot abandon the people’: Top humanitarian official in Afghanistan

Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said that amid severe underfunding, the move would “further undermine humanitarian partners’ ability to support the population, especially the most vulnerable such as women and girls”.

The world cannot abandon the people of Afghanistan at this precarious moment,” Dr. Alakbarov insisted, before urging the international community “not to punish the Afghan people further by withholding critical funding”.

Multiple top UN officials, starting with Secretary-General António Guterres, have condemned the latest Taliban decision. On Wednesday, the deputy UN chief, Amina Mohammed, pledged continued engagement by UN leadership with Taliban representatives to resolve the situation.

Grim precedent

In a statement on Wednesday, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Special Representative Roza Otunbayeva, was engaging authorities at the highest level possible, as well as other Member States, the donor community and humanitarian partners, to reverse the latest Taliban decree.

“In the history of the United Nations, no other regime has ever tried to ban women from working for the Organization just because they are women. This decision represents an assault against women, the fundamental principles of the UN, and on international law,” said Ms. Otunbayeva.

Biggest aid operation

With a record 28.3 million people in need of assistance in 2023 and a humanitarian appeal of $4.6 billion, Afghanistan is the world’s largest aid operation. It is also the UN’s lowest-funded operation globally, at less than five per cent.

“While we continue to engage with the Taliban de-facto authorities to find a solution to these decrees, we urge the international community not to punish the Afghan people further by withholding critical funding”, said the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Kabul.

Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Resident Coordinator in Afghanistan, briefs journalists at a press conference on the situation in Afghanistan.

“Aid agencies remain on the ground delivering life-saving assistance to millions of people, and national and international NGOs have continued to implement programmes over the past three months, despite the very challenging circumstances.

Keep the lifeline

“The population has already endured so much, it would be unconscionable to impose further harm on them by depriving them of an essential humanitarian lifeline,” said Dr. Alakbarov.

Over the past twenty months, Taliban leaders have issued a series of increasingly restrictive measures targeting women and girls which have sought to limit their participation in all aspects of social, economic and political life.

Rights experts demand Taliban reverse course

A large group of UN-appointed independent human rights experts on Thursday demanded the immediate reversal of the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for the UN.

They described it as unlawful discrimination, and a direct attack on women, “and wholly against the core values and principles” of the UN Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

All Afghan lives at risk

The latest ban will further hamper the delivery of critical assistance to millions of Afghans in need of urgent support, with many of the worst impacted being women and girls, they warned.  

“In continuing to target, exclude and isolate women and girls in Afghan society and denying women from working in many professions in Afghanistan, the Taliban is putting at risk the lives of all Afghans and jeopardising the country’s future”, the Human Rights Council-appointed experts said.

“The Taliban is once again demonstrating its brazen disregard for women’s rights and their well-being, and the extent to which they will go to remove women from all areas of public life and strip them of their rights and dignity”.

Lift bans immediately

“The targeting of women and girls in Afghanistan and denying their fundamental rights because they are women increases concern about gender persecution, a crime against humanity, and those responsible must be held accountable,” they said.

 We call on the de facto authorities to immediately lift the bans on women working with national and international NGOs and the United Nations”, their joint statement concluded.

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations. They are not UN staff and do not receive any compensation for their work.

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Türkiye quake aftermath: Funding needed to stave off risks to millions of children

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Türkiye quake aftermath: Funding needed to stave off risks to millions of children

UNICEF Representative in Türkiye, Regina De Dominicis, said that while the humanitarian response to the disaster was swift, “immediate futures of millions of children remain uncertain”.

 

Urgent health and protection needs

To cover the most pressing needs, UNICEF has reached more than 390,000 people with hygiene kits, winter clothes, electrical heaters and blankets.

The UN agency has also delivered water to thousands while damaged supply networks are repaired.

On the health front, UNICEF has been supporting Türkiye’s authorities with the provision of vaccines including for polio, diphtheria and tetanus, as well as medical equipment and supplies.

As part of the emergency response, the agency has also been working with partners to assist with family reunification and has reached more than 149,000 children and caregivers with psychosocial support.

UNICEF stressed that “these efforts must continue and child protection services must be maintained without interruption”.

Education in jeopardy

According to UNICEF, the earthquakes impacted nearly four million schoolchildren in Türkiye. While nearly 1.5 million have resumed their education in affected areas, and another 250,000 have been able to continue their education after relocating elsewhere in the country, many others risk being left behind.

To ensure that learning can continue, UNICEF is financing the repair of more than 1,170 schools, which will benefit over 300,000 children, and supporting the Ministry of Education with temporary classrooms in prefabricated structures and tents.

The agency is also providing catch-up classes and help with homework in 37 hubs dedicated to child, adolescent and family support across 10 provinces.

 

Getting lives back on track

UNICEF in Türkiye is appealing for an additional $138 million to continue assisting children affected by the earthquakes and calling on the international community to ensure their needs are prioritized.

Over and above the emergency response, UNICEF reiterated that longer-term assistance to children and their families is urgently required, so that people can “recover and begin to rebuild their lives”.

“More support is vital to ensure children are protected and their needs are met as a central part of the recovery,” Ms. De Dominicis said, so that the disaster does not continue impacting their lives for decades to come.

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Rights expert denounces interference in Beirut explosion probe

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Rights expert denounces interference in Beirut explosion probe

Special Rapporteur Margaret Satterthwaite expressed grave concern over interference in the investigation, including threats against Judge Tarek Bitar, who has been leading the process since February 2021. 

“Judges should never be threatened or subjected to criminal or disciplinary action simply for doing their job,” she said

Justice delayed 

More than 200 people died as a result of the blast, which ripped through Beirut’s port, causing extensive damage to the city, and unleashing dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere.  

Another 7,000 were injured, while some 300,000 people were displaced. 

Ms. Satterthwaite, whose mandate upholds the independence of judges and lawyers, condemned undue delays that have prevented justice for those affected by the disaster. 

“I am deeply disturbed by reports that former State officials and others who have been implicated in the case have disingenuously resorted to recusal proceedings and other challenging actions directed at the investigating judges appointed to examine the case,” she said.

“This has led to the replacement of an investigating judge in February 2021, as well as several suspensions of the investigation in recent months,” she added. 

Obstacles and threats 

The rights expert pointed to reports that since the explosion was referred to the Lebanese Judicial Council for investigation, authorities have rejected requests to lift parliamentary immunity and allow security officials to be questioned.  

She said the Lebanese Government has also failed to execute arrest warrants against former ministers.  Meanwhile, Judge Bitar has faced increasing obstacles and threats, and no one has been tried to date.  

On 23 January, the judge announced that investigations would resume following a 13-month pause, according to media reports. 

Two days later, he was charged with several offences, including ‘usurpation of power’, and subjected to a travel ban. 

Efforts to discredit 

“A number of motions have been filed with the intention of removing Judge Bitar from the case, and there is an ongoing campaign on television and social media to discredit him,” said Ms. Satterthwaite, noting that the judge has reportedly received credible death threats and is currently under military protection. 

“Judge Bitar must have the security he needs to carry out his work,” she said. “I urge Lebanese authorities to ensure that these threats are investigated, and that the judge, his colleagues and his family are adequately protected.” 

Ms. Satterthwaite said victims and their families have been seeking justice for well over two years.   

Uphold judicial independence 

She urged the authorities to take immediate action to protect the independence and integrity of the investigation and ensure that those responsible for the explosion can be held accountable. 

“Those affected by the blast have a fundamental right to the protection of the law and to effective remedies,” the UN expert said. “That can only happen if the independence of the judiciary is upheld.” 

About UN Special Rapporteurs 

Special Rapporteurs and other independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to monitor and report on specific country situations or thematic issues. 

They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.

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Top officials strongly condemn Taliban ban on Afghan women working for UN

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Top officials strongly condemn Taliban ban on Afghan women working for UN

In statements on Wednesday, Secretary-General António Guterres was joined by deputy chief Amina Mohammed, in describing the latest escalation of the de facto authorities’ suppression of women, as a violation of their inalienable fundamental human rights.

“It also violates Afghanistan’s obligations under international human rights law, and infringes on the principle of non-discrimination, which is a core tenet underpinning the United Nations Charter”, said Mr. Guterres, in statement issued by his Spokesperson.

Rights violations mount

Since overthrowing the democratically elected Government of Afghanistan in August 2021, Taliban leaders have steadily eroded the rights of women and girls in public life, introducing a ban on secondary schooling, higher education, working for non-governmental organisations, and their rights to freedom of movement.

Bans are already in force preventing them in effect from working, studying, and travelling without male chaperones.

‘Essential’ to life-saving operations

The UN chief said that female staff members were “essential” for all UN operations, which are directed by the Assistance Mission in the country, UNAMA, and which include the delivery of life-saving assistance.

“The enforcement of this decision will harm the Afghan people, millions of whom are in need of this assistance”, the statement said. “The Secretary-General calls on the Taliban to immediately revoke the decision and reverse all measures that restrict women’s and girls’ rights to work, education and freedom of movement.”

Speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday ahead of a sustainable development report briefing, the Deputy Secretary-General reminded that she had met many of the women now facing a ban and the loss of their livelihoods, in a visit to Afghanistan at the beginning of the year.

‘Taking all measures’ to support women staff

“We reiterate that both Afghan women and men are essential to all aspects of our work”, she said, adding that the UN “was taking all possible measures right now to support our national female staff at this difficult time.”

She said UN national female staff will continue to receive their salaries, but until further clarification is received, all national staff – both men and women – are being told not to report to the office.

She said she had been involved in a meeting with the Foreign Affairs minister of the de facto authorities earlier Wednesday morning, and pledged that UN leadership would “continue to engage” with Taliban representatives, “as well as neighbouring countries” to resolve the latest human rights infringements.

An OCHA staff member speaks with displaced women in the eastern province of Nangahar in Afghanistan.

Most vulnerable worst hit

The President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, also strongly condemned the move, calling it a “blatant violation” of women and girls’ human rights.

“The consequences of this decision would harm the Afghan people, in particular the most vulnerable segments of the population”, he said, noting that Afghanistan needs to get on the path towards sustainable development, “and for that, it should mobilize the country’s full potential.”

‘Utterly despicable’

The UN human rights chief Volker Türk, described the latest erosion of rights for women in Afghanistan as an “utterly despicable” move.

“This is a systematic, relentless assault on the people of Afghanistan as a whole by the Taliban”, he said, who he said seemed to be “working to incapacitate, intimidate and harass half of the population.”

He called on the leadership to rethink all of the restrictive policies introduced to curb women’s rights, “for the sake of the future of the country.”

UN Women vows to stay and deliver

The head of UN Women, Sima Bahous, said her agency “was determined to continue in every way possible to deliver vital services and support, so no woman or girl will be left out or left behind.”

Almost a quarter of households in Afghanistan are female-headed, she pointed out in a statement responding to the Taliban decree, adding that what the people need, is “more aid, not less.”

“I saw and heard this firsthand from Afghan women on my recent visit there”, she continued. “At this dark hour, we must not forget them. The removal of skilled women aid workers, decreases women and girls access to critical life-saving services, and it increases their risks when they have to seek assistance from men instead.”

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Somalia: $2.6 billion appeal to aid millions still on the brink of famine

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Somalia: .6 billion appeal to aid millions still on the brink of famine

“Somalia teetered on the brink of famine in recent months due to an historic drought characterized by five consecutive poor rainy seasons,” Mr. Abdelmoula said in Geneva. “The crisis is far from over – needs remain high and urgent. Some of the most affected areas continue to face the risk of famine.”

In March, seasonal rains led to flooding, and the deaths of 21 people, displacing over 100,000.

Due to high rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands, the Shabelle and Juba rivers could overflow, leading to flooded farmland, he warned.

However, rains in Somalia itself, are expected to underperform and are unlikely to be sufficient to improve the food security outlook for many.

That is what climate change does,” the Humanitarian Coordinator said. “It creates unpredictable cycles of drought and flooding. Somalia, which has done so little to contribute to the climate crisis, is truly bearing the brunt of it.” 

Lifesaving protection and aid

Nearly half of Somalia’s population – 8.25 million people – need lifesaving humanitarian and protection assistance. Of those, some 3.8 million are internally displaced.

Nearly five million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. Around 1.8 million children are severely malnourished, and eight million people lack access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. Two-thirds of all people in drought-affected areas have no access to essential healthcare.

The crisis is exacerbated by conflict and insecurity. At least 660,000 people live in areas controlled by non-State armed actors and largely out of the reach of humanitarian assistance.

‘Real risk of complacency’

Generous donor support scaled up humanitarian assistance and better than expected seasonal rains have averted famine for now.

Still, 43,000 deaths over the anticipated mortality rate occurred due to drought-related causes in 2022. This year, the Humanitarian Response Plan requires $2.6 billion to assist 7.6 million people but is only 13 per cent funded as of today.

“There is a real risk of complacency due to the projection of famine being removed, including through inadequate or late funding,” said Mr. Abdelmoula. “Should that happen, we will lose all the gains made so far. I urge donors to frontload funding for Somalia. In addition, I ask for investments in durable solutions because this is equally a development crisis.”

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New WFP chief Cindy McCain warns of funding crunch in fight against hunger

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New WFP chief Cindy McCain warns of funding crunch in fight against hunger

WFP estimates that more than 345 million people worldwide face crisis levels of food insecurity this year, an increase of almost 200 million since early 2020. Of these, 43 million are just one step away from famine.

Ration cuts warning

Ration cuts are coming if we don’t have the money to get food to those who need it most,” warned Ms. McCain. “My priorities are clear: increase our resources, improve our effectiveness and scale up partnerships and innovation to bring modern solutions to those most in need.”

Working in particular with the private sector to raise funds and identify new ideas will be particularly important to help the world’s most vulnerable stave off famine, the new WFP chief explained.

Think outside the box

“No organization can solve world hunger alone…Today we are asking new friends –especially from the private sector – to step up and join us,” said the new WFP Executive Director, who also announced a new taskforce on innovation “bringing together the best minds in both the public and private sectors” to source concrete ideas.

WFP is known for its Innovation Accelerator, launched in 2015 to identify, pilot and scale up innovation projects which advance the fight against hunger using digital technology. One of these projects is the “Share the Meal” smartphone app, allowing individuals to easily donate money to help feed people in specific emergencies.

Seasoned internationalist

Ms. McCain – who takes over from former South Carolina state governor, David Beasley – is well placed to pull the levers of international humanitarianism, having served since 2021 as US Ambassador to WFP and the other Rome-based UN agencies: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

WFP says that in her role as US Ambassador to these UN bodies, Ms. McCain has seen its operations “up close”, travelling to Laos, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Zambia, Tajikistan and Madagascar over the past year.

In 2022, WFP delivered food assistance to a record 158 million people around the world. The agency works in over 120 countries and territories and its work fighting hunger was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

Apart from providing emergency food relief and logistics, including trucks, planes, ships and helicopters in some of the most complex humanitarian operations on the globe, WFP is also the world’s largest provider of school meals.

Just last month the agency released a landmark report on the state of school meals, which provide a “critical safety net” for vulnerable children and households amid the global food crisis, at a time when over 150 million children and young people are going hungry.  

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Malawi: Rights experts offer ‘heartfelt support and solidarity’, in wake of Cyclone Freddy

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Malawi: Rights experts offer ‘heartfelt support and solidarity’, in wake of Cyclone Freddy

“We extend our heartfelt support and solidarity to the hundreds of thousands affected by Freddy, the longest-lasting tropical cyclone ever recorded in the southern hemisphere,” the UN-appointed human rights experts said in a statement.

“The cyclone has had a devastating toll on people across 14 districts – nearly half the country – causing loss of lives, destruction of homes, livelihoods and infrastructure,” they said.

“Cyclone Freddy submerged and washed away hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops, leaving more than half a million people displaced and sheltered in camps across flood-affected areas,” the Special Rapporteurs added.

Humanitarian partners load relief items into vehicles to distribute them to different sites for the internally displaced people in Mulanje District, Malawi.

Hundreds still missing

Difficult weather conditions continue to hinder search and rescue operations in areas only accessible via air, while other regions remain impossible to reach because of flooding and landslides.

Hundreds remain missing and authorities anticipate that numbers will likely increase. The cyclone has further compromised communities already struggling with the spread of cholera, in addition to straining an already precarious health sector.

“The disaster has left an estimated 1.1 million people in dire need of urgent humanitarian support with the most immediate needs being shelter, food, clean water, sanitation and hygiene, health, and safety,” the experts said.

They added that protecting the most vulnerable internally displaced persons in sites and ensuring timely and adequate access to food and healthcare was paramount, “including by the provision of sexual and reproductive health care and protection services for women and girls, unaccompanied and separated children, LGBTI persons, people with disabilities and older persons, without discrimination”.

Resilience in the face of the disaster

The Human Rights Council-mandated experts commended the Government and the people of Malawi for their strength and resilience in the face of disaster.

“We hope that affected communities can contribute their traditional knowledge and valuable perspectives in the design of programmatic responses, disaster risk reduction strategies and durable solutions,” the human right experts said. “The rights and dignity of affected populations must be respected in the recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the aftermath.

Supporting the people

The experts called for an expansion in humanitarian aid, in addition to a boost in the number of development partners, businesses, and financial institutions prepared to partner with the Government of Malawi to mitigate the impact on affected communities.

“Malawi needs to develop durable solutions to avert, minimise and address disaster displacement through climate adaptation measures, preparedness and disaster risk reduction,” they said. 

“Despite contributing little to the problem, Malawi is facing the impacts of climate change. We call on big emitter States, who are disproportionately responsible for the climate crisis, to make drastic cuts to their emissions, and scale up finance for adaptation and loss and damage,” they said.  

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva. These independent experts are mandated to monitor and report on specific thematic issues or country situations. They are not UN staff and do not receive any compensation for their work.

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Haiti crisis in spotlight, as top human rights body wraps marathon session

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Haiti crisis in spotlight, as top human rights body wraps marathon session

An independent expert mandate on Haiti had been created by the Council in 1995 but then discontinued in 2017.

The current resolution, calling for “coordinated and targeted international action”, was sponsored by Haiti itself.

Country-specific abuses

As a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, the Council examines human rights violations in specific countries as part of its standing agenda. The forum voted on Tuesday to adopt resolutions on human rights in Iran, Belarus, Syria and Ukraine.

Resolutions on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, and in Myanmar, were adopted without a vote.

Momentum for the environment

On Tuesday, the Council also agreed to strengthen the international consensus around the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

The proposal, which passed without a vote, called on States to guarantee respect for human rights when addressing environmental challenges, protect environmental activists and provide access to justice, “including to an effective remedy”, on green issues.

While resolutions on the environment have been adopted by the 47-member body in the past, the latest text builds on two landmark resolutions agreed by the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in 2021 and 2022, enshrining the universal right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for the first time.

Just last week, in another historic decision, the UN General Assembly called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on countries’ legal obligations related to climate change, building global momentum towards a legal basis for climate justice.

Over 40 resolutions

Poised to wrap up a marathon five-and-a-half-week session on Tuesday, the Council’s 47 Member States prepared to take action on a total of 43 resolutions.

On Monday, it notably voted to extend the mandate of the three-member Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan for a further period of one year. The vote came on the same day as the publication of the Commission’s most recent report decrying the glaring impunity for horrific ongoing violations against civilians.

The Council also voted for a two-year renewal of the mandate of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua created in 2022. The three experts warnedearlier this month that Nicaragua’s government was committing crimes against humanity as part of its crackdown on political dissent.

Consensus and dialogue

Mandates on human rights defenders, minority issues, torture, freedom of opinion and expression, adequate housing, migrants, as well as the sale, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children, were all renewed by consensus.

At the start of the Council’s current session on 28 February, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, urged the Council’s members meeting in the 75th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), to overcome differences “through solidarity and genuine dialogue, working across geopolitical divides with a clear vision to advance the needs of every country and the rights of all”.

A “willingness to engage in genuine dialogue – a desire to seek common denominators, even in the midst of fierce disagreements – is, I believe, core to our common language”, Mr. Türk insisted.

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Taliban order bars Afghan women from working with UN

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Taliban order bars Afghan women from working with UN

“Our colleagues on the ground at the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) received word of an order by the de facto authorities that bans female national staff members of the UN from working,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, told reporters at UN Headquarters during the regular daily briefing.

“We are still looking into how this development would affect our operations in the country,” he said. “We expect to have more meetings with the de facto authorities tomorrow in Kabul, on which we are trying to seek some clarity.”

Following Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban in August 2021, the UN remained committed to stay and deliver, while calling for unified support for the country’s people.

Despite relatively constructive initial engagements with Taliban authorities, decisions over the last year by the fundamentalist leadership have included bans on women accessing higher education, working for NGOs, and accessing many public spaces.

Ban ‘unacceptable’: Guterres

Answering questions from reporters, Mr. Dujarric said an official communication coming from the Taliban leadership, had indicated that the order would apply to the whole country.

We hope we will hear strong voices from the Security Council,” he said, noting that the UN mission operates under its mandate.

For the Secretary-General, any such ban would be unacceptable and “frankly inconceivable”, Mr. Dujarric said.

Female staff ‘essential’

The reported decision focussed on UN staff, is just the latest in a disturbing trend of edicts, undermining the ability of aid organizations to reach those most in need, he added.

“It goes without saying, but unfortunately, it does need saying, that female staff are essential for the United Nations to deliver life-saving assistance,” he said.

Such orders, as we saw today, violate the fundamental rights of women and infringe upon the principle of non-discrimination,” he said. “Female staff members are essential to ensure the continuation of the UN operations on the ground in Afghanistan.”

An OCHA staff member speaks with displaced women in the eastern province of Nangahar in Afghanistan.

‘Pursing all avenues’

Out of a population of about 40 million people in Afghanistan, the UN is trying to reach 23 million men, women, and children with humanitarian aid, he said.

“We will continue to pursue all avenues to ensure that we can reach the most vulnerable people, especially women and girls”.

‘Most repressive’ place to be a woman

In March, Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva, UN Special Representative and head of the UNAMA Assistance Mission, told the Security Council that Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the “most repressive country in the world [for] women’s rights”.

“At a moment when [the country] needs all of its human capital to recover from decades of war, half of its potential doctors, scientists, journalists, and politicians are shut away in their homes, their dreams crushed, and their talents confiscated,” she said in a briefing to the Council.

UN action in Afghanistan

  • The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and partners are responding to deliver vital humanitarian relief.
  • The World Food Programme (WFP) provides fortified, and nutritionally-balanced food assistance to vulnerable groups in need, including people displaced by conflict, those affected by disasters, refugees, returnees from neighbouring countries, and people affected by seasonal food insecurity.

  • The UN migration agency (IOM) provided assistance to more than 1,300,000 Afghans between 2021 and 2022, including access to protection, water, hygiene, health services, and basic daily needs through the distribution of food, temporary shelter, and other essentials.

  • The UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) focuses its work on assisting the most vulnerable by coordinating the delivery of effective humanitarian aid and principled humanitarian action.

  • The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) assistance included vaccines, access to safe drinking water, and support for 556,160 children, 55 per cent of which are girls, with education opportunities through 15,252 community-based education classes.

  • The UN Population Fund, which supports sexual and reproductive health (UNFPA) provides many services to those in need, including 117 mobile health teams, that provide maternal, newborn, child, adolescent healthcare, and psychosocial support in remote communities, reaching 1.5 million across 25 provinces in 2022.

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