The Taliban government is conspicuously absent from a meeting on Afghanistan organized by the UN on Monday in Doha, which was to focus on the approach to be adopted towards the authorities in Kabul, and how to encourage them to soften their position on women’s rights.
Special envoys from the United States, China and Russia, as well as major donors are among the 25 countries and organizations convened by UN Secretary General António Guterres in the Qatari capital.
The Taliban government was not invited to participate in the meeting, which began late Monday and ended Tuesday.
Ahead of this diplomatic meeting, Afghan women demonstrated in Kabul on Saturday to express their opposition to any international recognition of the Taliban government.
In a letter to envoys on Sunday, a coalition of women’s groups said they were ‘outraged’ that any country would consider establishing formal ties with Afghan authorities, due to their record on women’s rights . For Kabul, this is an “internal social issue”.
The United Nations and the United States said normalization was not on the meeting’s agenda.
Fears among human rights organizations were fueled by remarks last month by UN Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who said the Doha meeting could lead to “small steps” towards a possible “recognition in principle” of the Taliban government, under “conditions”.
The UN said the comments had been misinterpreted.
The objective of the Doha meeting is to “achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban”, on the rights of women and girls, inclusive governance, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, the secretary general’s office said.
UN Dilemma
“Any form of recognition of the Taliban is totally excluded,” US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said last week.
Taliban government deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi told Agence France-Presse on Monday that he “wants a positive dialogue” with the international community, but that “internal issues”, such as restrictions on human rights women, should not be taken into account in the discussions.
“These questions should not be used as political tools,” he added.
Two decades after their ouster, the Taliban regained power in the summer of 2021 by ousting the internationally-backed government. The Taliban authorities then imposed a rigorous version of Islamic law, described as “sex-based apartheid” by the UN.
Women now find themselves excluded from most secondary schools and universities. They are also not allowed to work in most public administrations, nor in UN agencies and NGOs.
The 15 members of the Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday for a resolution condemning the restrictions imposed on women in Afghanistan, urging all countries to work to “urgently reverse” these policies.
According to diplomats and observers, the meeting in Doha highlights the dilemma facing the international community in this country, where the UN is facing one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world.
According to Amina Mohammed, it is “clear” that the Taliban authorities yearn for recognition.
A normalization of relations with the UN would allow them in particular to recover the billions of dollars seized abroad after they came to power.
Diplomats from several countries taking part in the talks in Doha said recognition was not on the cards until Kabul reviewed its policy on women’s rights.
After last week’s UN vote, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said “diversity should be respected and not politicized”.
Diplomats say António Guterres is expected to give an update in Doha on a review of UN humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, requested in April after Afghan women were banned from working with UN agencies.
The UN, which considers that women are essential to its work in Afghanistan, says it faces a “dreadful choice”, that of continuing or not its operations in this country of 38 million inhabitants.