The second meeting of the Doha meeting, attended by representatives from 27 countries and hosted by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, commenced yesterday without the presence of the Taliban in Qatar. The international consensus on coherent and coordinated global interaction with the Taliban, the appointment of a special representative of the United Nations, and the initiation of meaningful political dialogues have been the fundamental topics of discussion at the Doha Meeting. During the two-day United Nations meeting, discussions are underway regarding the selection process of a special representative for Afghanistan. The Taliban have not participated in this meeting due to the non-acceptance of their preconditions. However, political analysts suggest that the Taliban are not seeking a political solution to the Afghanistan issue. According to them, the Taliban are striving to maintain their power and are distancing themselves from any efforts aimed at national and international consensus. Political analysts believe that despite the convening of this meeting, there is no national and international consensus on resolving the Afghanistan crisis, and this meeting cannot generate global and regional consensus due to political differences among countries regarding the Taliban.
The United Nations hosted the second meeting in Doha, which convened representatives from 27 countries in Qatar. On the first day, the UN Secretary-General engaged in closed-door discussions with country representatives to deliberate on the appointment of the UN’s special representative and strategize on fostering international consensus for coordinated interaction with the Taliban.
Sources from the meeting in Doha indicate that the main meetings will take place today, with informal meetings and visits held mostly yesterday. They say that the core agenda for the second day will focus on the UN roadmap and recommendations by the Secretary-General concerning Afghanistan. Today, the UN Secretary-General will also engage in discussions with Afghan civil society and women representatives.
According to media reports, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the UN Secretary-General’s special coordinator, has been nominated as the UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan. Sinirlioğlu is a key figure at the Doha Meeting, which is centered around his proposals known for their independent assessment by the Secretary-General. Sinirlioğlu has proposed a roadmap to the Security Council for initiating talks and appointing a special representative.
Despite being invited to participate in the Doha Meeting, the Taliban have withdrawn from participation due to their objections to the meeting. The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that they did not participate in the meeting due to their conditions not being accepted. This comes as the UN special coordinator, the head of UNAMA, the EU special representative, and several foreign diplomats met with the group before the meeting to discuss the agenda of the Doha Meeting.
The Taliban wanted to participate in this meeting as the sole representative of Afghanistan and also engage in higher-level discussions with the UN Secretary-General, but the UN did not accept these Taliban conditions. The UN has invited Lotfullah Najafizada, Metra Mehran, Shah Gul Rezai from outside Afghanistan, and Mahbouba Seraj from within the country to this meeting. These individuals are scheduled to hold discussions today at 3:30 PM Doha time with special representatives of various countries after lunch.
Meanwhile, Lisa Sorush, a Conflict Resolution and Management Researcher, told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that judging the outcomes of the Doha Meeting prematurely is unwarranted. According to her, there is still no national and international consensus on resolving the issue of Afghanistan. She emphasizes that there are divergent views domestically and internationally regarding crisis resolution and negotiations with the Taliban. This researcher further adds that Iran and Russia have stated before the Doha Meeting that if the Taliban’s choice for the UN Special Envoy is not approved, they will not endorse the appointment. Ms. Sorush stresses that the global community must take practical legal steps to end violence in Afghanistan.
Ms. Sorush adds that the Taliban’s non-participation in the Doha Meeting reflects their political ineffectiveness and will undoubtedly lead to further isolation on both political and international fronts. According to her, the Taliban are not seeking a political solution to the Afghanistan issue and are striving to maintain their power not through political and civic strategies but through political agreements favorable to their group.
According to the Conflict Resolution and Management researcher, the Taliban had proposed that no representative should participate in the Doha Meeting without their presence and had also requested a meeting with the UN Secretary-General, but these requests were not accepted, so they did not attend the Doha Meeting. She believes that the absence of the Taliban in the Doha Meeting will not give further opportunities to their lobbyists.
The absence of the Taliban in the Doha Meeting has also faced reactions from various politicians and officials from the previous government. According to them, the non-participation of this group in the Doha Meeting will further isolate the Taliban internationally.
Ali Ahmad Jalali, the former Minister of Interior of the Afghan government, wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) Page: “The Taliban regime’s refusal to participate in the United Nations meeting in Doha could deepen its international isolation. This rejection may also diminish the regime’s credibility as a party for political resolution through negotiation with other relevant sectors of Afghan society.” He, currently working as a university professor in the United States, added that this could elevate the legal status of anti-Taliban forces. According to him, the Taliban will continue to pursue power monopoly, deny inclusivity, and struggle to achieve domestic and international legitimacy.
Simultaneously with this meeting, various political, civil, and human rights groups from inside and outside Afghanistan, through separate statements, have called for the protection of women’s rights, full observance of human rights, and ensuring justice in Afghanistan.
The Transitional Justice Coordination Group has urged participants in the Doha Meeting on Afghanistan to ensure the active participation of war victims. The human rights organization has criticized the Doha Meeting for not being inclusive enough and emphasized that war victims must be involved in this process. The Transitional Justice Coordination Group emphasized the importance of a victim-centered approach in all discussions and processes related to Afghanistan’s present and future. The organization stated that without truth-telling, ensuring justice would be impossible. Their statement reads, “Ensure that the voices of victims are not only heard but are central in dialogue and decision-making processes, paving the way for a truly comprehensive and fair solution.”
The Transitional Justice Coordination Group stated that justice became a victim of political agreement at the Bonn Conference in 2001, and this perspective disrupted the opportunity to break the cycle of violence and establish sustainable peace. The statement emphasizes that the parties in the Doha Meeting must commit to a framework that places war victims at the center of peace and nation-building efforts.
Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, expressed hope that the Doha Meeting would lead to meaningful and comprehensive discussions. Although absent from the second meeting of special representatives hosted by the United Nations, he tweeted, “Hopeful this meeting leads to a series of meaningful and comprehensive discussions among key stakeholders who consistently prioritize human rights, especially women’s rights, as the core of Afghanistan’s future path.”
Simultaneously with the Doha Meeting, citizens in various countries worldwide have staged protests. Protesters, through resolutions, demand the recognition of gender apartheid imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Among the participants, Afghan citizens protesting in Toronto, Canada, have urged the UN Secretary-General to abandon the term “Intra-Afghan talks” and prioritize “Intra-Ethnic talks” in their agenda. They welcome the appointment of a UN special Envoy for Afghanistan affairs and urge the Secretary-General to ensure that this representative brings together representatives of Afghan ethnic groups to form a “multi-ethnic” government.
Multiple statements from political factions and human rights organizations have been issued regarding the Doha Meeting. At the same time, at least 12 countries on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany have expressed concerns about the human rights situation in Afghanistan. They demand that the Taliban put an end to systematic sexual harassment of women in Afghanistan. Signatories of this joint statement consider the Taliban responsible for one of the “most horrifying and dire” human rights situations globally. The countries issuing this statement include Germany, Canada, Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Mongolia, the Netherlands, and Romania.
In their joint statement, these countries state, “Since our last meeting at the Munich Security Conference in 2023, the Taliban have made no progress in supporting human rights in Afghanistan, especially the fundamental rights of women and girls. Instead, they are responsible for one of the most dire and horrifying human rights situations worldwide.”