In this file photo taken on Oct 13, 2022, Afghan female students take an entrance exam at Kabul University in Kabul. (WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP)
KABUL/UNITED NATIONS – Afghanistan's Taliban-run higher education ministry on Tuesday suspended access to universities by female students until further notice, drawing strong condemnation from the United States, Britain and the United Nations.
A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the higher education ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately, in accordance with a Cabinet decision.
The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans, especially the human rights and fundamental freedom of women and girls.
Robert Wood, US Deputy UN Ambassador
The announcement by the Taliban administration, which has not been internationally recognized, came as the United Nations Security Council met in New York on Afghanistan.
Foreign governments, including the United States, have said that a change in policies on women's education is needed before it can consider formally recognising the Taliban-run administration, which is also subject to heavy sanctions.
"The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans, especially the human rights and fundamental freedom of women and girls," US Deputy UN Ambassador Robert Wood told the council, describing the move as "absolutely indefensible."
ALSO READ: Taliban ban women from parks, morality ministry says
In Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the United States will look to see what more it can do to hold the Taliban to account.
Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the suspension was "another egregious curtailment of women's rights and a deep and profound disappointment for every single female student."
Britain's UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said the suspension was "another egregious curtailment of women's rights and a deep and profound disappointment for every single female student"
"It is also another step by the Taliban away from a self-reliant and prosperous Afghanistan," she told the council.
In March, the Taliban drew criticism from many foreign governments and some Afghans for making a U-turn on signals all girls' high schools would be opened.
Alarmed by the news
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was alarmed by reports that the Afghan Taliban have banned women and girls from attending universities, said his spokesman on Tuesday.
"The secretary-general is deeply alarmed by news reports that the Taliban have suspended access to universities to women and girls. The secretary-general reiterates that the denial of education not only violates the equal rights of women and girls, but will have a devastating impact on the country's future," said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement.
Dujarric said the move was "clearly another broken promise from the Taliban".
"It's another very troubling move and it's difficult to imagine how the country can develop, deal with all of the challenges that it has, without active participation of women and the education of women," he said.
ALSO READ: US restricts visas to Taliban over repression of Afghan women
Afghan students walk toward their university in Kabul, Afghanistan on Feb 26, 2022. (HUSSEIN MALLA / AP)
Meanwhile, UN special envoy for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva said in a statement that the decision was "devastating."
"I am very saddened by the news that was widely reported this morning that the Taliban Minister of Higher Education has banned women from attending universities. This is detrimental for women but also for Afghanistan more widely," said Otunbayeva.
As long as girls remain excluded from school and the de facto authorities continue to disregard other stated concerns of the international community, we remain at something of an impasse.
Roza Otunbayeva, UN special envoy for Afghanistan
"I briefed the (Security) Council this morning on a number of human rights concerns that we have expressed to the Taliban de facto authorities. Ever since the Taliban banned girls' secondary education in March of this year the council has been unanimous in condemning this decision. So many young women lost the whole academic year and now another harsh decision has been taken to ban university education," she said.
"I regret that the Taliban do not seem to think about the future of Afghanistan and how women can contribute to the economy, education, and culture," she added.
Shortly before the announcement from Kabul, Otunbayeva told the Security Council that the closure of high schools had "undermined" the Taliban administration's relationship with the international community and was "extremely unpopular among Afghans and even within the Taliban leadership."
"As long as girls remain excluded from school and the de facto authorities continue to disregard other stated concerns of the international community, we remain at something of an impasse," she said.
The decision came as many university students were sitting end-of-term exams. One mother of a university student, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said her daughter called her in tears when she heard of the letter, fearing she could no longer continue her medical studies in Kabul.
READ MORE: UNSC voices concern over Taliban curbs on women, girls
"The pain that not only I .. and (other) mothers have in our heart, could not be described. We are all feeling this pain, they are worried for the future of their children," she said.
Otunbayeva said the United Nations is seeking further information and clarifications about this decision.