Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), stated that he discussed the eradication of polio in a meeting with Noor Jalal Jalali, the Taliban's Minister of Health, in Switzerland.
However, Afghan activists criticised the meeting, accusing the Taliban of obstructing polio vaccination efforts in recent years.
On Saturday, 20 July, the WHO Director-General wrote on X that in his meeting with Jalali, they discussed the health situation in Afghanistan and emphasised the need to intensify efforts to eradicate polio. He affirmed that the organisation continues to support the people of Afghanistan, especially women and children.
The Taliban's Ministry of Health stated that Jalali discussed health issues and further coordination with international organisations regarding the control of infectious diseases and the prevention of polio.
"Moral Decline of the World Health Organisation"
This meeting faced severe criticism from human rights activists and former Afghan officials. Fawzia Koofi, a former member of parliament, stated that taking a photo with a Taliban representative who has issued 85 decrees restricting and violating women's rights signifies the "moral decline" of the WHO.
Khoshal Nabizada, former head of public health in Kabul, wrote on X that the Taliban have obstructed the eradication of polio. He noted that polio has been eradicated worldwide except in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but over the past two decades, the Taliban have prevented polio vaccination on both sides of the border.
Nabizada added that UN agencies received millions of dollars in additional resources under the pretext of ensuring the security of polio vaccination campaigns through the Taliban's influence.
He stated that over the past two decades, hundreds of polio vaccinators and health workers have been killed by the Taliban. Such ceremonial meetings, he argued, reflect the double standards of both the Taliban and the United Nations. According to him, neither the Taliban believe in eradicating polio, nor does the United Nations believe that the Taliban will cooperate in these efforts.
Nasir Ahmad Andisha, Afghanistan's representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, responded to the meeting by saying, "Having a meeting with the unrecognised, UN-sanctioned Taliban for humanitarian purposes is one thing, but proudly posing for a propaganda tool for them is vile and an affront to millions of people of Afghanistan under their tyrannical rule and the gender apartheid they commit."
Afghanistan International has obtained a letter from the Taliban's Minister of Public Health stating that he would be attending a meeting in Switzerland about the establishment of polio centres from 8 to 25 July.
In this letter, Noor Jalal Jalali appointed Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzada as the acting head of the Ministry of Public Health. Jalali specified that the acting head of the ministry does not have the authority to transfer, dismiss, or hire employees. This comes as the Taliban leader recently appointed Sahibzada as the Acting Minister of Public Health.