VANCOUVER, CANADA – The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) expressed deep concern over the exclusion of Afghan women from the upcoming Doha meeting on Afghanistan.
The Committee, in a statement released today, June 28 called for the active and direct participation of Afghan women in the discussions. It emphasized the urgent need to address the severe crisis in women’s rights in Afghanistan.
“Failure to ensure participation will only further silence Afghan women and girls already facing escalating violations of their rights as prescribed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),” the statement reads.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, the situation for Afghan women and girls has deteriorated dramatically. They face denial of education and employment, restrictions on movement, and exclusion from public life.
The committee highlighted the Taliban’s recent decision to reduce salaries of women civil servants barred from employment, calling it an additional deliberate and harmful measure to disempower women.
The committee also emphasized that excluding Afghan civil society, including women human rights defenders, from the Doha meeting undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the discussions. This exclusion contradicts both the CEDAW Convention and U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1325 on women, peace, and security.
The exclusion has sparked outrage among activists, rights groups, and UN officials. UN special rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, criticized the exclusion, arguing appeasement shouldn’t come at the cost of women’s rights. “It is a mistake to measure the success of this meeting by whether the Taliban show up,” Bennett wrote.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai previously condemned the exclusion, stating any discussions without women’s full participation lack legitimacy. Yousafzai, in a statement shared on social media, called it “unacceptable” for the U.N. to hold such a meeting without Afghan women at the forefront.
The U.N. will host its third meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar, from June 30 to July 1. However, unlike previous gatherings, representatives from Afghan civil society and women have been excluded from the main discussions. The Taliban, however, will participate, with spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid leading their delegation.
