UN Representative Defends Absence of Women at Upcoming Doha Meeting with Taliban

A senior United Nations official in Afghanistan defended the absence of Afghan women at the upcoming first meeting between the Taliban and representatives from 22 countries, emphasizing that women's rights issues will 'certainly be raised' at this meeting. The Associated Press reports that Roza Otunbayeva, the UN special envoy, faced repeated questions from journalists regarding human rights organizations' criticism of the exclusion of Afghan women from the Doha meeting scheduled for June 30 and July 1. Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, warned in a message on Friday that the absence of Afghan women, human rights activists, and civil society representatives would undermine the credibility of the meeting. Heather Barr, Deputy Director of the Women's Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, stated on Thursday that according to their reports, the UN has excluded Afghan women from the upcoming Doha meeting. While Roza Otunbayeva claims that women's rights issues will 'certainly be raised' at the meeting, Barr tweeted on Friday that 'there is no discussion of women on the agenda of the Doha meeting, and no woman has been invited to participate.' In response to these criticisms, Otunbayeva, a former president and foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan, insisted after a UN Security Council briefing that 'no one' dictated these conditions regarding the Doha meeting to the UN. She confirmed that no Afghan women would be present at the meeting. Otunbayeva stated that Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN political chief, will chair the meeting, and several of the 22 special representatives for women in Afghanistan will also attend. This meeting is the third UN-supported gathering regarding the Afghanistan crisis in Doha. The Taliban were not invited to the first meeting, and Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, stated that they set unacceptable conditions for participation in the second meeting in February, including demands that Afghan civil society members be sidelined from negotiations and that Taliban representatives be treated as the legitimate rulers of the country. DiCarlo visited Afghanistan in May and invited Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to participate in the upcoming meeting. The Taliban accepted and stated that they would send a delegation. The Taliban took power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces after two decades of war. No country has officially recognized them as the government of Afghanistan, and the UN has stated that recognition is nearly impossible as long as the ban on women's education and employment continues. However, Tirana Hassan, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, referred to the upcoming meeting and stated that given the intensified repression of women and girls by the Taliban, it is 'shocking' that the UN intends to hold a meeting where 'women's rights are not on the agenda or Afghan women are not present.' The UN hopes to continue discussions at the fourth Doha meeting focusing on the impact of climate change on Afghanistan. Lisa Datin, the financial director of the UN humanitarian office, warned that climate change has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, with over half the population needing humanitarian assistance. She noted the increase in severe weather events such as droughts and floods. Otunbayeva expressed hope that at this meeting, working groups will be formed to explore solutions to Afghanistan's economic and social challenges, including the replacement of opium cultivation, providing medication for addicts, and improving business conditions.