DOHA, Qatar — The second day of the Doha meeting on Afghanistan began at 8:30 a.m. local time with a thematic session focused on Afghanistan’s private sector, according to the agenda of the discussions.
The session is expected to open with remarks from UN Deputy Chief Rosemary DiCarlo, followed by a presentation from the World Bank. The Taliban delegation then will provide a presentation on the country’s economy and the private sector.
From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., participants will engage in an open discussion. The meeting will continue with a thematic session on counter-narcotics from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will conclude with further open discussions and remarks by the UN Deputy Chief, based on the agenda of the meeting seen by Amu.
Envoys from Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the UAE, the UK, the US, and Uzbekistan are attending the meeting. Representatives from the EU, OIC, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, along with the ADB and World Bank, have also been invited for the thematic sessions.
Meanwhile, a group of Afghan citizens residing in Canada held a protest rally, calling on world countries to boycott the Doha meeting.
In a resolution, the protesters stated, “Any outcome from the Doha meeting is invalid due to the absence of representatives of Afghan women and civil society.”
Women’s rights organizations and human rights groups have also voiced strong objections to the meeting, criticizing the lack of focus on human rights—particularly women’s rights—and the exclusion of their representatives from the agenda. Several women’s rights activists have called for a boycott of the meeting.
