The UN’s decision to exclude women from attending the Doha 3 meeting to ensure Taliban participation is profoundly disappointing. Afghan women expect the UN to stand with them against the Taliban’s severe violations of their rights. The Taliban have issued over 100 decrees targeting all aspects of women’s rights. Afghan women have demanded that the Taliban be brought to international courts and held accountable for what has been described as gender apartheid by Afghan women human rights defenders, international human rights organizations, and key UN officials such as Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, and António Guterres, UN Secretary-General. Instead, women are being let down by the UN as their participation and voices are blocked from the upcoming Doha meeting.
This decision not only damages the UN’s credibility but also emboldens the Taliban to further abuse the rights of women. We urge the UN not to repeat the same mistakes. A resolution for Afghanistan cannot be achieved without the participation of women. In these testing times, it will be remembered that the UN chose to appease the Taliban instead of standing for the universal human rights principles and women’s meaningful participation in peace processes that it claims to uphold.