diplomacy
UN Afghanistan meeting begins in Doha
In mid-August 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. photo
© Abdul Khaliq/AP/dpa
The Taliban have been hoping for international recognition since coming to power in August 2021. But a high-level UN meeting is now taking place without them.
A high-level Afghanistan meeting has begun in the Qatari capital Doha. Representatives of the international community came together at the event in the Gulf Emirate, as a UN spokeswoman told the German Press Agency. The two-day meeting is organized by the United Nations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also takes part.
According to the UN, the consultations will, among other things, discuss how international states can shape their relations with the Taliban in a coordinated and structured manner. So far, not a single country in the world has officially recognized Taliban rule. However, Taliban ambassadors have started working in some countries such as China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran. Qatar has hosted Afghanistan talks in the past.
Women’s rights not part of the conversation
Human rights activists criticized the conference in advance and called on UN Secretary General Guterres to put women’s rights on the agenda. The former vice president of the Afghan parliament, Fausia Kufi, wrote in an opinion article that the conference could be a success “if there is meaningful dialogue between all sides.” She called for all parts of Afghan society to be taken into account.
A UN quarterly report said more than half of Afghan women felt unsafe leaving the house without a male companion. The main reason is harassment by the Taliban security forces. Around two thirds of the women surveyed also expressed the fear that international recognition of Taliban rule could further aggravate their situation.
The Taliban refused to attend the meeting, saying their conditions had not been met. In the past, the Islamists had repeatedly demanded to be recognized as the sole representative of Afghanistan. But many people have doubts about this. When they came to power, the Taliban drastically restricted women’s rights and civil liberties. Your government is extremely authoritarian.
In mid-August 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan again before the complete withdrawal of US troops. In the previous weeks they had taken over more and more districts of the country. They initially promised to govern more moderately, but their rule has recently become increasingly dogmatic. The humanitarian situation in the country is considered precarious. Western embassies have left Afghanistan.