The Ministry of Economy in a statement on Saturday ordered all national and international non-government organizations to suspend their female staff members until the next announcement.
The ministry warned that if any organization to which it has issued a license, does not implement the order, its license will be canceled.
The announcement faced widespread reactions from NGOs and Afghans across the country.
Amnesty International said on Twitter that the latest order by “the Taliban Ministry of Economy suspending all female employees of national and international NGOs in Afghanistan is yet another deplorable attempt to erase women from the political, social and economic spaces.”
In a statement, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the UN office in Afghanistan and its partners condemn the decision of the Islamic Emirate to suspend women’s jobs in national and international non-government organizations.
“Any such order would violate the most fundamental rights of women, as well as be a clear breach of humanitarian principles,” the UN agency said.
Earlier, the Ministry of Higher Education ordered the suspension of universities for female students, a decision that triggered global reactions.
