Despite the Taliban's recent decision to ban all women from working in NGOs, humanitarian aid must continue to flow to Afghanistan. This means aid agencies have to negotiate with the Taliban, argues Tooba Neda Safi, an Afghan journalist based in Lausanne. In August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal from the country of the United States army, they systematically began erasing women from the public space. On December 23, 2022, in their latest restriction on women's rights, the Taliban banned women from working in domestic and foreign NGOs in Afghanistan. The decision could have a significant humanitarian impact on millions of vulnerable people in the country, which would no longer have access to aid. The order comes only days after the Taliban excluded female students from universities across the country. NGOs were quick to respond. On December 25, organisations such as Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE...
