The United Nations has halted some of its humanitarian aid operations in Afghanistan after the Taliban imposed a ban on female workers at nongovernmental organizations. The U.N.’s humanitarian aid coordinator in Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, said Thursday the ban has immediate life-threatening consequences for all Afghans.

Ramiz Alakbarov: “Humanitarian needs of the people are absolutely enormous, and it’s important that we continue to stay and deliver. As we do so, it’s equally important that the rights of women and girls, of which we are so much talking these days, are absolutely preserved and protected.”