KABUL, Afghanistan — A coalition of women’s protest movements from Afghanistan has denounced the third round of the Doha meeting on Afghanistan as “illegitimate” due to the absence of women and civil society representatives.
In a video message, members of the movements criticized the negotiations between the international community and the UN, highlighting the exclusion of women from these discussions.
They claimed that the UN and the international community have left the fate of Afghan women in the “hands of a terrorist group.”
The third round of the Doha meeting began on Sunday afternoon with the presence of envoys from around 30 countries and various institutions. The meeting was chaired by Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
The Taliban indicated that the main agenda of the Doha meeting would include discussions on the private sector and counter-narcotics.
However, the absence of women and civil society representatives at the meeting has sparked serious reactions among human rights defenders and women’s rights activists.
Hundreds of women’s rights activists held protests worldwide, criticizing the invitation of the Taliban and describing it as a concession by the UN and the international community to the Taliban.
