Devendra Kumar
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed disappointment and surprise on Monday after the Taliban failed to participate in a UN-sponsored meeting about Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar. The meeting aimed to address the ongoing crisis in the war-torn country and was attended by member states and special envoys. However, the Taliban refused to attend due to unmet demands, specifically the exclusion of Afghan civil society members from the talks and treatment that essentially recognized the group as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. According to Guterres, the UN has made it clear that recognition is unlikely to occur as long as the Taliban continues to ban female education and employment.
Guterres emphasized that the absence of the Taliban from the meeting was not a setback, but rather an opportunity lost to discuss the meeting’s conclusions with the group. The major point of contention between the international community and the Taliban remains the restrictions imposed on women and girls. The Taliban views these restrictions as a domestic matter, while the UN and other countries consider them a grave human rights issue. Meeting participants agreed on the need to revoke the restrictions, underscoring the importance of women’s participation in forging a lasting solution to the Afghan crisis.
The Taliban also expressed opposition to the appointment of a UN special envoy to Afghanistan. Guterres believed that the envoy was essential to clear up the role and powers of the envoy. He suggested that there needed to be “clear consultations” with the Taliban to address their concerns and make the appointment “attractive” to them. Despite the absence of the Taliban from the meeting, Guterres remains hopeful that the group will eventually agree to participate in talks, acknowledging the need for their input in shaping a peaceful and prosperous future for Afghanistan.