UPDATE - G-7 calls on Taliban to 'urgently reverse' ban on women aid workers

ADDS REMARKS BY EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: REVISES DECK

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The G-7 countries on Thursday called on Afghanistan’s de facto leaders, the Taliban, to “urgently reverse” a ban on women working with national and international nongovernmental organizations.

In a joint statement, the G-7 foreign ministers and the EU’s top diplomat said that they are "gravely concerned" by the "Taliban’s reckless and dangerous order."

"The Taliban continue to demonstrate their contempt for the rights, freedoms, and welfare of the Afghan people, particularly women and girls, and their disinterest in normal relations with the international community," the statement said.

Highlighting the “central” role of women in humanitarian and basic needs operations, the foreign ministers said they support the Afghan people’s calls for girls and women to return to work, school, and university.

The foreign ministers of Australia, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, and the Netherlands also joined the call by G-7 countries and the EU following Taliban orders since last week barring women from both university and working for NGOs.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell added on Twitter: "Taliban deeply irresponsible order barring female NGO employees from the workplace puts at risk millions of Afghans who depend on humanitarian assistance for their survival,"

He said the G-7 countries are in close contact with the UN on the issue.

Earlier, the heads of a key UN-backed committee on Afghanistan stressed that the ban has immediate "life-threatening consequences" for all Afghans.

"The decision by Afghanistan's de facto authorities to ban women from working in humanitarian non-governmental organizations is a major blow for vulnerable communities, for women, for children, and the entire country," said the principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Afghanistan that includes heads of multiple UN agencies and civil society groups.

According to an Economy Ministry letter on Saturday, the Taliban ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop female employees from coming to work.