Third Doha meeting on Afghanistan ends amid rising humanitarian concerns

The two-day meeting of the United Nations and representatives of 25 countries and 5 international organizations on Afghanistan has ended with concerns about exclusion of representatives of women, ethnic groups and religions

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, chaired the Doha meeting on Afghanistan held from 30 June to 1 July.

In a press conference after the two-day meetings, she said that the Taliban cannot be integrated into the world community while depriving women of their rights, referring to the restrictions imposed by the group on Afghan women and girls.

DiCarlo further noted that the concern of the UN and the special representatives of countries for Afghanistan in this meeting centered on the current restrictions on Afghan girls and women.

The political deputy of the UN Secretary General has emphasized that Afghanistan cannot grow without the presence of women in the field of economy.

Meanwhile, Canada has strongly expressed disappointment that the United Nations has “removed” women’s rights defenders, civil activists and representatives of ethnic and religious groups from the Doha meeting. Canada’s special representative for Afghanistan at the meeting said in a statement that he had expressed this issue privately and publicly to the representatives of the countries.

This comes despite the fact that before the Doha meeting, the exclusion of Afghan women and civil society representatives from this meeting was widely criticized by parties and defenders of human and women’s rights.

Some local movements, including the Afghan Women’s Voice Movement, have criticized the international community for engaging with the Taliban, accusing them of overlooking women’s rights violations in Taliban-controlled areas.

They have expressed frustration with the United Nations for prioritizing its own interests over the needs of Afghan women. These movements declared they would not recognize the Taliban and would boycott any meetings involving them.

The Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on women in Afghanistan, prohibiting them from working in government agencies, holding decision-making positions, and attending school beyond the sixth grade. These restrictions also extend to women’s participation in public life and certain professions.

It should be mentioned that the United Nations hosted the third Doha summit on Afghanistan without including women’s representatives or discussions on women’s rights, sparking discontent among many activists and rights groups.