The third round of the Afghanistan-focused Doha meeting, scheduled for next week, will be chaired by Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, sources informed Amu. DiCarlo, a U.S. citizen, has held this position since March 2018.
With 35 years of experience in diplomatic affairs, public service, and academia, DiCarlo has served in various capacities, including at the U.S. Department of State and as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Her involvement in Afghan affairs is longstanding; she visited Afghanistan in 2019 during the presidential election preparations and has emphasized political solutions for the country’s crisis at UN Security Council meetings.
Addressing a UN Security Council meeting, she emphasized a political solution for Afghanistan,” the source noted.
DiCarlo visited Afghanistan twice following the Taliban’s takeover. Her first visit was in December 2021, four months after the Taliban assumed control.
During this visit, she met with senior Taliban officials, including Abdul Kabir, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister. Concluding her visit, she stressed the need for continued efforts to create an inclusive system and a peaceful society in Afghanistan.
She told a UNSC meeting in March 2022, “When I visited Afghanistan in July 2019, the enthusiasm of Afghan women as they prepared to support and participate in the peace process. The women I met were ready and eager to play a role in their country’s future. When I returned to Afghanistan in December 2021, I witnessed a very different landscape with many women fearing to leave their homes.” DiCarlo also traveled to Kabul nearly a month ago, apparently to invite the Taliban to the third Doha meeting.
The Taliban revealed that DiCarlo shared the agenda and details of the third Doha meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, its acting Foreign Minister. A few weeks later, the Taliban announced that it would participate in the meeting.
DiCarlo, who advocates a political path as a solution for Afghanistan and ensuring human rights, will be chairing an important meeting on Afghanistan from June 30 to July 1.
Meanwhile, some women’s rights and girls’ advocacy groups in the country expect her to prioritize human rights issues, especially the rights of Afghan women and girls.
Envoys from more than 20 countries will attend the Doha meeting, where participants will exchange views on the situation in Afghanistan.
