Naseer Ahmad Faiq, the Chargé d’Affaires of Afghanistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, expressed disappointment over the exclusion of human rights and political issues from the agenda of the upcoming Doha meeting.
Addressing the U.N. Security Council’s meeting on Afghanistan, Faiq emphasized the importance of these topics, calling them “crucial issues in their thematic discussions.” He also expressed frustration that “representatives of civil society and women will not be present at the table.”
“This will be perceived as a shift away from issues deemed essential to the people of Afghanistan, and more broadly from the objectives to which international commitments were made, including Security Council resolutions,” Faiq stated. “It will be viewed as another setback, signaling a normalization without any tangible changes on the ground.”
Referencing the U.N. special rapporteur’s report on Afghanistan’s human rights situation, Faiq urged meeting participants to ensure Afghan women are included in all political discussions, including the Doha process. He described the Taliban as “only one internal stakeholder” that “cannot represent the people of Afghanistan as a sole entity.”
“We should not disregard the legitimate demands of the Afghan people, especially women and girls, and normalize a gender apartheid regime in Afghanistan,” Faiq added.
Roza Otunbayeva, the U.N. Secretary-General’s special envoy for Afghanistan, presented her report on the situation in Afghanistan to the U.N. Security Council on Friday.
