TEHRAN — Afghan female protest movements based in Iran announced their boycott of the Doha meeting in a statement issued on Sunday.
The movements assert that the international community does not want to hear the voices of millions of Afghans who are “oppressed and discriminated against.”
“We are struggling for basic rights such as education, work, and social activities—rights that are taken for granted in other parts of the world—and we are paying a very high price for these rights,” the resolution stated.
The resolution claimed that the UN and the international community aim to recognize a government that silences and ignores its opposition. It emphasized that the Doha meeting lacks the support of the Afghan people and therefore lacks legitimacy.
The third round of the Doha meeting is being held without the participation of civil society and women representatives. However, the UN revealed that a session with civil society members and Afghan women will be held on the third day of the meeting.
So far, at least three civil society and women representatives have declined to attend the meeting, arguing that women should have been included in the main talks.
