The United Nations has announced that the Security Council will hold a meeting on Friday, June 21, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), will provide an update at the session on the current state of affairs in the country.
This review comes shortly after Richard Bennett, the U.N. Special Rapporteur, released a report highlighting the pervasive and severe violence against women in Afghanistan.
Bennett’s report states that the “systematic oppression of women and girls by the Taliban” could amount to “crimes against humanity.”
Bennett also urged the U.N. not to treat the Taliban as a recognized government in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the third Doha meeting, hosted by the United Nations, is scheduled for June 30 and July 1. This meeting will include special representatives from various countries focusing on Afghanistan.
The Taliban has been invited to the Doha meeting and has announced that it will send a delegation to Qatar. However, reports indicate that the United Nations so far has not invited representatives from Afghan civil society to the event.
Political groups and women’s organizations have called for the inclusion of a diverse range of Afghan voices, including women, at the Doha meeting, questioning the legitimacy of the talks in the absence of female representation.
