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UN Vows Afghan Women’s Rights on Agenda at Doha Meeting

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – As concerns mount over the UN’s exclusion of Afghan women from the upcoming Doha meeting, the organization emphasizes that human rights, particularly the rights of women, will “prominently feature in all discussions.”

As reported by Reuters on Sunday, June 23, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the Doha meetings are a “continuous process” and not a one-time event, assuring continued involvement of Afghan women and civil society.

“The meeting aims to encourage the de facto authorities to engage with the international community through a coordinated and structured approach for the benefit of the Afghan people,” Dujarric said. “Human rights and the rights of women and girls will feature prominently in all the discussions, certainly from the part of the U.N.”

The two-day UN-hosted gathering in Doha, Qatar, starting June 30th, marks the third session of the UN-led Doha process. While the Taliban has agreed to participate for the first time, Afghan women and civil society groups will not be directly involved in talks with the Taliban.

The UN has confirmed that Afghan women and civil society representatives will not be included in the main talks with the Taliban. The organization plans for separate engagements with these groups after the meeting, led by UN officials and representatives from participating countries.

This decision has sparked outrage among women’s rights activists and organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW). They have criticized the UN for prioritizing Taliban engagement while sidelining Afghan women.

Sima Samar, a prominent activist and former head of Afghanistan’s human rights commission, criticized the move as “an indirect submission to the Taliban.”

“This situation is an indirect submission to the will of the Taliban. Law, democracy and sustainable peace are not possible without including half of the population of the society who are women.,” Samar said. “I don’t think we have learned anything from past mistakes.”

Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, warned that the meeting’s credibility hinges on addressing the human rights crisis and including women’s voices.

“The international community must adopt a clear and united stance: the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are non-negotiable,” Callamard said. “They must be at the heart of the UN-convened meeting in Doha which should result in their restoration.”

Human Rights Watch echoed this sentiment, with Executive Director Tirana Hassan calling the exclusion “shocking.”

“Excluding women risks legitimizing the Taliban’s abuses and triggering irreparable harm to the U.N.’s credibility as an advocate for women’s rights and women’s meaningful participation” Hassan said.

Meanwhile, the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, highlighted the meeting’s focus on private sector development and combatting drug trafficking. She also acknowledged the “unrealistic expectations” surrounding a single session.