UN says Taliban divided on appeal to restore women's rights

UN team met with the Taliban in the capital of Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A delegation led by the highest-ranking woman at the United Nations urged the Taliban during a four-day visit to Afghanistan that ended Friday to reverse their crackdown on women and girls. Some Taliban officials were more open to restoring women’s rights but others were clearly opposed, a U.N. spokesman said.

The U.N. team met with the Taliban in the capital of Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar. It did not release the names of any of the Taliban officials. The meetings focused on the restrictive measures the Taliban have imposed on women and girls since they took power in August 2021, during the final weeks of the U.S. and NATO forces’ pullout after 20 years of war.

The team, headed by U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, found that some Taliban officials “have been cooperative and they’ve received some signs of progress,” said U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. “The key thing is to reconcile the (Taliban) officials that they’ve met who’ve been more helpful with those who have not.”

Haq stressed that “there are many different points of authority” among the Taliban and that the U.N. team will try to get them to “work together to advance the goals that we want, which include most crucially, bringing women and girls back to the full enjoyment of their rights.”

In a statement, Mohammed said her message to the Taliban was very clear — “these restrictions present Afghan women and girls with a future that confines them in their own homes, violating their rights and depriving the communities of their services.”

She stressed that delivery of humanitarian aid is based on the principle requiring unhindered and safe access for all aid workers, including women.