Afghanistan – France condemns the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women from working for UN agencies operating in Afghanistan (Apr. 6, 2023)

France condemns in the strongest terms the Taliban decision to ban Afghan women from working for UN agencies operating in Afghanistan. It urges the Taliban to immediately revoke this ban. This follows the ban announced on December 24, 2022, prohibiting Afghan women from working for NGOs, as well as the Taliban’s many other violations of Afghan women’s rights and humanitarian law.

This latest ban further worsens the situation of the Afghan population, which is already facing an unprecedented humanitarian and economic crisis.

As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has stated, the Taliban’s shameful policy of repressing and systematically excluding women must be denounced and combated.

Israel/Palestinian Territories – France expresses its concern over the violence on Temple Mount (Apr. 6, 2023)

France expresses its concern over the past two nights’ violence on Temple Mount, including inside the Qibli Mosque.

We call for respect of the historic status quo on Jerusalem’s holy sites and for the parties to refrain from any action liable to fuel the violence. We call on both Israelis and Palestinians to abide by the commitments they made in Aqaba and Sharm-el-Sheikh.