DOHA, Qatar — Rina Amiri, the U.S. Special Envoy for Human Rights in Afghanistan, stated that she met with various Afghan human rights and women’s rights activists who underscored the necessity of including the “full diversity of Afghans,” particularly women, in future decision-making forums about Afghanistan.
Amiri noted that, over the past three weeks, she discussed concerns and recommendations with Afghan women and human rights networks both inside and outside Afghanistan.
She pledged to share the details of these discussions with envoys at the third round of the Doha meeting, which begins this evening.
Key points from her discussions include:
Human Rights Prioritization: The rights of women and girls must be prioritized.
Advocacy Spaces: Afghans, especially women, must be given opportunities to advocate for themselves.
International Pressure: The international community must continue to press the Taliban to reverse discriminatory edicts that restrict women and girls’ access to education, work, and movement, as well as other repressive policies.
Inclusive Framework: Ongoing consultations during and after Doha 3 are essential to support an inclusive framework for women and civil society participation.
Holistic Solutions: Afghanistan’s peace, security, and sustainability challenges cannot be resolved without the inclusion of diverse voices.
The exclusion of women and civil society members from the third Doha meeting has drawn strong criticism from human rights activists and women’s rights defenders.
