The United Nations is trying to find a more unified international approach in dealing with the Taliban, which has suppressed women's rights since its return to power.
“Excluding women risks legitimizing Taliban abuses and causing irreparable damage to the UN’s credibility as a champion of women’s rights and meaningful engagement,” Tirana Hassan, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said about the third meeting in Doha.
The United Nations said that UN Political Affairs Officer Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Special Envoy to Afghanistan Rosa Otunbayeva and envoys from several countries are expected to meet separately with Afghan civil society organizations after meetings with the Taliban.
The Doha meetings are “part of a process and not isolated.” Women and civil society remain part of it, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Sunday.
“They also aim to encourage the de facto authorities to engage with the international community in a coordinated and structured approach for the benefit of the Afghan people,” Dujarric said.
He added, “Human rights and the rights of women and girls will have a prominent place in all discussions, certainly by the United Nations.”
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