The Taliban ban on female NGO workers & dilemmas for humanitarian NGOs

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On 24 December, the Taliban’s Ministry of Economy announced a ban on female NGO workers in Afghanistan. This has huge implications for female colleagues in Afghanistan, the people they help and the NGOs they work for. Moreover, it is another violation of women’s rights and human rights by the Taliban. The impact of this decision is enormous as the country is going through an economic crisis, winter is in its grip and more than two-thirds of the population needs humanitarian assistance.

This new situation raises questions and dilemmas for humanitarian organizations and NGOs: Do we stay or should we go? Where do we draw red lines? Can we push back? How? And how can we ensure that the most vulnerable people are still reached?

Together with involved humanitarian professionals we shared updates and experiences. Under Chatham House Rule attendees reflected on questions like how their organisations defined the dilemmas, red lines, risks and opportunities.