An official message from the Taliban leadership indicates that the ban applies throughout the country, said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General. Foreign female UN workers are exempt.
The government has not commented on why the ban has been issued.
"We expect to meet with the authorities in Kabul on Wednesday, and try to get some clarity," Dujarric told reporters on Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the decision on Wednesday and called for its immediate revocation, according to Reuters.
"It is a violation of women's inalienable fundamental human rights," Dujarric said.
What happens now?
Afghanistan expert Anders Fänge, former country director of the Swedish Afghanistan Committee, believes that it will be difficult for the UN to continue working in Afghanistan if women are not allowed to work within the organization, as the UN Charter prohibits all kinds of discrimination.
"If the organization leaves, it would have tremendous consequences for the humanitarian work needed in the country. More than half of the population is suffering from acute food shortages and the economy has largely collapsed, he adds.
Decisions by the Taliban leadership over the past year have included banning women from accessing higher education, working for NGOs and access to a lot of public spaces.
Anders Fänge tells us more in the clip above.