Top UN, NGO officials to meet over Taliban ban on women staff

The order issued by the Taliban authorities, demanding NGOs to ban women from work, drew swift international condemnation, with governments and organisations warning of the impact on humanitarian services in a country where millions rely on aid.

“A meeting of Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is to be held to consult and discuss how to tackle this issue,” Tapiwa Gomo, public information officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AFP.

The HCT comprises top UN officials and representatives of dozens of Afghan and international NGOs who coordinate distribution of aid across the country.