Rights groups have slammed the United Nations for not having Afghan women at the table with the Taliban in Doha. A United Nations-led meeting with Taliban will be held in Qatar's capital Doha this weekend, in which representatives from some 25 countries are expected to take part. It will be the third such meeting, but , which has ruled the war-torn nation since it seized power in August 2021 as US-led troops withdrew after 20 years of war.
The UN political chief who will chair the meeting said it's not about granting recognition to the . "This is not a meeting about recognition. This is not a meeting to lead to recognition.
.. Having engagement ," UN Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told reporters.
"This isn't about the Taliban. This is about Afghanistan and the people." Achieving sustainable peace, adherence to international law and human rights, as well as counter-narcotics efforts, among other things, are on the agenda of the talks, the UN official said.
The Taliban side has said they want to discuss topics such as restrictions on , development of the private sector, and countering drug trafficking. Why are rights groups criticizing the UN? But rights groups have criticized the UN for not having Afghan women at the table with the Taliban in Doha. Shabnam Salehi, former commissioner of Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission, contends that the third Doha meeting would be "inconclusive" without Afghan women's participation.
She views the UN's approach toward .
