Several human rights and women’s rights activists have issued a statement condemning the exclusion of women and civil activists from the third Doha meeting and the omission of human rights issues from its agenda. They argue that these actions have bolstered the Taliban's stance, allowing the regime to persist in systematic human rights violations and gender apartheid.
According to Tarz Press, these civil activists view the outcome of the Doha meeting as exacerbating their plight and have voiced deep concerns.
In a statement released on Wednesday, July 3rd, human rights and women's rights activists highlighted that the exclusion of women and civil activists from the Doha meeting, at the Taliban's request, signifies a shocking disregard for human rights and women's rights by the meeting organizers. The meeting, held on June 30th and July 1st in Doha and hosted by the United Nations, did not include representatives of women and civil activists.
Following criticism over the absence of women and civil activists, the United Nations announced a meeting with these groups on July 2nd. Some female activists boycotted this meeting; however, UN officials still met with several individuals identified as civil activist representatives.
In their statement, the activists criticized the participants in this follow-up meeting as unknown individuals with unclear agendas, deeming the meeting ineffective and illegitimate. They expressed concern that the United Nations' normalization of interactions with the Taliban, without addressing human rights, women's rights, and the rights of other individuals, is deeply troubling.
