KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has announced an upcoming fourth round of international talks on Afghanistan in Doha, continuing efforts to address the country’s escalating crises.
In a recent meeting in New York, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, met with Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the UN, to discuss the upcoming meeting.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry, in a statement released today, October 30, emphasized the meeting’s goals of reinforcing cooperation between Qatar and the UN’s political and peacebuilding offices, alongside discussions on Middle Eastern developments. Officials stressed the need to build on the outcomes achieved during the Doha 3 meeting in June.
Though the UN has yet to confirm the date for the fourth summit, the agenda is expected to concentrate on stability and dialogue in Afghanistan. However, previous Doha talks faced backlash, particularly for excluding Afghan women and civil society groups, while Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid represented the group in earlier discussions.
Criticism of Doha 3 from Afghan women’s rights advocates and human rights groups focused on the absence of women from such vital discussions. Many activists, both within Afghanistan and in the diaspora, had urged a boycott of the previous talks, asserting the Taliban would resist engaging with Afghan women directly.
Despite ongoing controversy, the fourth Doha summit aims to explore solutions to Afghanistan’s deepening human rights, humanitarian, and political crises. Advocates continue to push for a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to shaping Afghanistan’s future.
