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On June 30, local time, the Taliban delegation attended the third meeting of special envoys and special representatives for Afghanistan (also known as the "third Doha meeting") hosted by the United Nations, discussing the restrictions imposed by the international community on Afghanistan's financial and banking system, the challenges facing private sector development, and the government's actions to combat drug trafficking. This is the first time that representatives of the Taliban have agreed to participate in such a meeting. Previously, the Taliban were not invited to the first meeting, and the second meeting was refused because it was "not the only Afghan representative." After the United Nations announced that Afghan women would not participate in the conference, civil society groups and experts questioned that this was a huge concession by the United Nations to persuade the Taliban to participate in the negotiations. In fact, since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, there has been no progress on women's rights in Afghanistan. According to The Guardian, the United Nations has been criticized for "siding with the Taliban and excluding Afghan women."
Meetings that exclude women from Afghanistan
On June 30, local time, the third meeting of special envoys and special representatives for Afghanistan was held in Doha, Qatar, for two days, attended by special envoys from about 25 countries, regions and organizations including the European Union, the United States, Russia, and China. In May 2023, the United Nations launched the Doha process, which aims to develop a unified approach for the international community to address Afghanistan. At the first meeting in May 2023, the Taliban delegation was not invited. In February, the Taliban refused to attend the second meeting because the United Nations had invited Afghan civil society organizations to participate.
Earlier, the UN's decision to announce that Afghan women would not attend the conference caused discontent from all sides. Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnès Callamard noted that the UN decision "contributes to the legitimization of the system of gender-based oppression" and that "the international community must take a clear and unified position that the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are non-negotiable". Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban authorities have severely denied women's rights and controlled women's freedoms. They required women in public places to wear a gown that covered their entire body, covering their faces and revealing only their eyes; prohibiting them from going to gyms and parks, or cooperating with national and foreign NGOs; Female students are prohibited from receiving university education.
The Guardian commented that the UN called the Taliban's oppression of women "gender apartheid", and now they are doing almost the same thing. This agenda is a clear violation of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions 1325 and 2721. Both resolutions provide for ensuring the participation of Afghan women's groups in discussions on Afghanistan. In response, UN Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo insisted that women's rights in Afghanistan would be discussed at a meeting with the Taliban and that representatives of Afghan civil society would be met after the meeting.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban delegation, said at a press conference on June 29 local time that they recognize issues related to women's rights, "but these are domestic policy issues in Afghanistan." At the same time, he added that he hopes that the international community will discuss more issues such as Afghanistan's economic downturn and international sanctions, and "hope that all countries will not abandon the Afghan people, actively participate in the reconstruction process of Afghanistan, and promote Afghanistan's economic development."
A different approach to Afghanistan
According to the analysis of the New York Times, the controversy surrounding the third Doha meeting shows that there are clear differences within the West on how to handle relations with the Taliban government. Some groups have tried to isolate the Taliban with sanctions and force them to empower women; Other Governments and organizations have tried to engage the Taliban in the hope of changing their policies towards women in Afghanistan by promoting more dialogue.
Fawzia Koofi, a Guardian critic, takes a different view. She pointed out that conversations with the Taliban did not conflict with the imposition of sanctions, especially since international organizations could not choose to give in after repeated friendly dialogues failed and the Taliban continued to impose more bans and restrictions on Afghan women. Thanks to the presence of international organizations advocating for free elections and women's rights, such as the United Nations, millions of Afghan women risked their lives to cast their ballots in the 2004, 2009 and 2014 presidential elections, such as the 2014 elections, in which women accounted for 36 per cent of the voter. "The willingness of the United Nations at this time to sacrifice its moral values and succumb to extremist ideological groups is extremely confusing to many Afghan women." In addition, according to UN data, Taliban's restrictions on women's employment cost Afghanistan more than $1 billion annually. "Without the full participation of women, the private sector in Afghanistan will not be able to grow, and meetings that discuss economic topics without women's participation are in vain." Cuffey wrote.
In July 2023, a Gallup survey revealed that only 11% of Afghan women interviewed said they were satisfied with the lifestyle they had chosen. This is the lowest number of any country or group surveyed by Gallup. Despite the suffering and the erosion of freedom, Afghan women are still resisting. Some took to the streets to protest and demand the restoration of their rights at the risk of arrest, detention and violence. Schools were closed, and female students (in the minority) who had access to the Internet were self-studying courses such as English, math and science. Women entrepreneurs are also looking for ways to break free from Taliban control, "we have no choice but to find a way to survive and learn".
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has worked with many Afghan women. They often say that in the past, they were most worried that the Taliban would return to power, but now they are most worried that the international community and government organizations will recognize the Taliban as legitimate because they are in power. "The international community and organizations must insist that the participation of Afghan women in decision-making, discussion and formulation is the first principle, and that the explicit inclusion of these issues in the Doha agenda remains an important first step."
News and image sources: The New York Times, The Guardian, the United Nations, the Associated Press, RFI, and some pictures from the Internet
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