Afghan women ban makes Taliban recognition near ‘impossible’: UN

Afghan women chant and hold signs of protest during a demonstration in Kabul, Afghanistan, in March 2022 [File: Mohammed Shoaib Amin/AP Photo]

It will be “nearly impossible” for the international community to recognise the Taliban government as long as restrictions on women and girls remain in place in Afghanistan, the United Nations envoy to the country and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has said.

Roza Otunbayeva told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the Taliban have asked to be recognised by the UN and its member nations, “but at the same time, they act against the key values expressed in the United Nations Charter”.