Two days of closed-door meetings between United Nations officials and Taliban representatives concluded late Tuesday in Doha without any public disclosure of outcomes, drawing concern from civil society groups and rights advocates.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed to Amu TV on Wednesday that no official summary of the discussions had been made available.
The meetings included the third round of working group talks on counter-narcotics and a second round on private sector support — both held under the broader umbrella of the UN-led Doha Process. The sessions began Monday, June 30, and were described by the UN as part of an ongoing effort to identify technical priorities for engagement with Taliban authorities.
Taliban have also remained silent on the content or progress of the discussions.
The lack of transparency has fueled unease among Afghan citizens and rights groups, who have repeatedly urged the UN and international actors to center human rights — particularly those of women and girls — in all dialogues with the Taliban.
“We want the world, especially the United Nations, to hear our voices,” said one woman in Kabul, who asked not to be named for security reasons. “We live under oppression, without basic rights like education. These meetings should not ignore us.”
Another Kabul resident said the UN must be “a voice for the people” and take tangible steps to ensure access to education and a better future.
The UN has described the Doha Process, along with Secretary-General António Guterres’s independent assessments and the Mosaic engagement framework, as key components of its strategy to address the crisis in Afghanistan. However, critics argue that such initiatives risk sidelining Afghan civil society if they do not include meaningful consultation or public accountability.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the working group meetings, informal discussions were held among special envoys from China, Russia, and Pakistan, according to Pakistani envoy Mohammad Sadiq. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also reported a separate bilateral meeting between its special envoy and the Qatari foreign ministry’s representative for Afghanistan.
