The United Nations Security Council began a closed-door meeting on Afghanistan Monday morning.
Carolyn Allison Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s envoy to the UN and president of the Security Council, said the council would receive updates on the Secretary-General’s recent meeting in Doha.
Discussions include consultations toward appointing a special envoy for Afghanistan, she said.
Birkett emphasized the council’s insistence on “equal, meaningful, and safe participation and leadership of Afghan women at all levels and stages of decision-making.” She urged the Taliban to include women in humanitarian aid planning and delivery, noting their absence negatively impacts aid reaching women, children, and older persons.
“We welcome the participation of various Afghan stakeholders in the Doha meeting,” she said.
Birkett also condemned the Taliban’s “continued systemic gender discrimination and oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan.”
