The exclusion of women and civil society representatives from the agenda of the third Doha meeting, hosted by the United Nations, has sparked widespread criticism both domestically and internationally. Civil and political activists have labeled the omission of Afghan women and other civil forces from the Doha meeting as capitulation to the Taliban and have called it questionable. They emphasize that the UN’s behavior in this matter is “suspicious” and contradicts the organization’s charter and fundamental principles. Some claim that several senior diplomats in UNAMA, including its head, have close ties with the Taliban and lobby for the group.
The former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) has called for the suspension of the “Afghan diaspora” interactions with the UN to make the protests meaningful. This meeting is scheduled to take place at the end of June with the presence of special representatives from various countries and a Taliban delegation. The head of UNAMA has indirectly confirmed that women are not on the agenda for this meeting and that discussions will focus on the private sector, banking, and drug control.
The United Nations has announced that the third Doha meeting, hosted by the organization, is set to take place at the end of this month with the participation of special representatives from Afghanistan from various countries in Qatar. Although the exact agenda of the meeting has not yet been published in the media, the head of the UNAMA has identified the private sector, banking, and drug control as the main topics of discussion.
Previously, a Taliban official from the group’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that the private sector, banking, and drug control are the main agenda items for the Doha meeting, which have been discussed with the Taliban by the United Nations. He confirmed that a Taliban delegation would participate in this meeting.
Meanwhile, Farima Nawabi, a human rights researcher and former diplomat, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the United Nations is ignoring the problems of women in Afghanistan and seeks to whitewash and legitimize the Taliban. This human rights researcher, without naming specific individuals, described the presence of some senior diplomats from the UNAMA office in Kabul as “suspicious,” claiming they lobby for the Taliban and have close relations with the group. Ms. Nawabi added that the UN’s track record in Afghanistan since the 1980s has been unsuccessful, and the organization has failed to align its programs with Afghanistan’s realities and the demands of its people.
This former diplomat emphasized that the track record of Roza Otunbayeva, the head of UNAMA in Kabul, and some of her colleagues, are suspicious and that they do not have a proper understanding of the relationships and culture of the people of Afghanistan. According to her, the head of UNAMA has close ties with the Taliban and regional countries, especially Russia, and acts according to their wishes.
On the other hand, Ms. Nawabi added that the issue of women is not on the agenda of countries or the United Nations, and this organization wants to diminish women’s struggles to indirectly or directly legitimize the Taliban. She stated that the Taliban’s presence before special representatives of countries grants legitimacy to the Taliban and downplays women’s struggles in Afghanistan. She emphasized that the UN, by doing this, discredits itself to the people of Afghanistan and calls into question its management style and performance.
The exclusion of women and civil society representatives from the main agenda of the Doha meeting has drawn widespread internal criticism and condemnation from some international human rights organizations. They have labeled this action by the UN as surrendering to the Taliban and contrary to the organization’s charter.
Protesting women have accused the head of UNAMA of whitewashing the Taliban and stated that her support for the exclusion of women from the third Doha meeting is against international laws. They stressed that the international community has ignored women’s rights at the Doha meeting to achieve its interests.
On the other hand, the “Canadian Feminist Association for Afghanistan” has emphasized the meaningful participation of civil society and women in the third Doha meeting, stating that human rights-based interaction will restore the lost trust of the people of Afghanistan in the international community. The association’s statement reads: “The international community should condition any engagement with the Taliban, including the Doha meeting, on the reopening of schools at all levels for girls and women, and the reopening of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).”
Meanwhile, Rahmatullah Nabil, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS), in response to the exclusion of women and civil society members from the agenda of the third Doha meeting, has called for the suspension of formal interactions of the “Afghan diaspora, activists, and women’s/human rights defenders” with the United Nations. He wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) page that this suspension should continue until the UN corrects its double standards towards the people of Afghanistan and adheres unequivocally to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. Nabil emphasized, “Anything less than this would render our protests meaningless, merely whispers in the wind without any real impact on the future of Afghanistan.” He accused the UN of complicity with gender apartheid in Afghanistan and acting contrary to its principles.
The former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security added, “In a disappointing turn, the United Nations has repeatedly capitulated to the Taliban’s demands, ignoring fundamental human rights and the aspirations of the people of Afghanistan. Despite the valuable declarations of the UN Charter emphasizing fundamental human rights, dignity, and the equal rights of men and women, the organization has failed to uphold these principles in Afghanistan.”
Nabil, referring to the systematic suppression of women by the Taliban, said that excluding women from the third Doha meeting is a tacit endorsement of the Taliban’s discriminatory policies by the United Nations and a blatant betrayal of the UN’s charter.
Meanwhile, Roza Otunbayeva, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told reporters in a press conference in New York that the Taliban have come from the mountains and the battlefield, and it cannot be expected that this group will quickly transform into individuals who accept women’s rights and fundamental freedoms.
The head of UNAMA said that the Taliban would participate in this meeting and for the first time, all the special envoys of the countries would engage in face-to-face talks with this group. She claimed that the special envoys would tell the Taliban that women must be involved in the dialogue process and provided with access to work and business opportunities.
Human rights activists and political figures accuse the United Nations of serious violations of its charter, noting that last year, the organization also failed to take practical action against the ban on Afghan women working in the UN.
Last year, UNAMA stated the ban on women working in the organization, saying, “This unprecedented violation of women’s rights is a clear breach of humanitarian principles and international laws guaranteed by the UN, including those laws that apply to all UN employees.” The head of UNAMA at that time emphasized, “In the history of the United Nations, no other regime has ever attempted to bar women from working in the UN simply because of their gender… this decision is tantamount to an attack on women, the fundamental principles of the United Nations, and international laws.”
It is noteworthy that the media, quoting the US Department of State, reported that Tom West and Rina Amiri, the US special envoys for Afghanistan, have no plans to attend the third Doha meeting.
These reactions come as a large number of civil activists and protesting women have launched global demonstrations calling for a boycott of the Doha meeting. The first protest was held yesterday in Paris, the capital of France.
The protesters have called on European countries to boycott the Doha meeting, stating that inviting the Taliban to this meeting disregards the will of the people of Afghanistan.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
