Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with women-led organisations in Afghanistan on those groups' involvement in addressing the Taliban government's ban on female aid workers in that country.

The ban on Afghan women working for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) represents a further violation of the rights and freedoms of Afghan women. FCDO officials and ministers regularly engage with women-led organisations in Afghanistan, including local and international NGOs and UN Women. On 19 January the Minister of State for South Asia chaired a meeting with Afghan women including representatives from women-led organisations based in Afghanistan, which discussed the impact of the ban and how best to respond. The Prime Minister's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan chairs regular meetings with NGO partners based in Afghanistan, most recently on 25 January.