UN Urges Taliban to Allow Afghan Women Back into Offices

Kabul — Dec. 7, 2025

The United Nations has called on Taliban authorities to lift their ban on Afghan women working in UN offices, warning that the restriction threatens the delivery of “life-saving services.”

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have restricted women from most jobs, visiting public parks and beauty salons, and attending school beyond age 12. In September, they barred female staff from entering UN offices in Afghanistan.

Susan Ferguson, the UN’s special representative for women in Afghanistan, said in a statement: “We call for the ban on Afghan women staff and contractors to be reversed and for their safe access to offices and the field.” She added that the longer the ban continues, the greater the risk to essential services. Ferguson also noted that the restrictions violate the UN’s principles of human rights and equality.

While the UN did not disclose the exact number of women affected, sources indicated that several hundred staff members face the ban. For the past three months, female staff have been working remotely, providing critical assistance to earthquake victims and Afghan migrants deported from Pakistan and Iran.

Ferguson described the work of these women as “indispensable,” emphasizing that only their presence ensures safe access to women and girls and allows for culturally sensitive support.

The Taliban did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
NEWS DESK
PRESS UPDATE