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Statement on the Upcoming Doha III Meeting on Afghanistan
Statement on the Upcoming Doha III Meeting on Afghanistan
28 June 2024
To the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and UN Under-Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo:
The undersigned Afghan women human rights defenders and peacebuilders, organizations, and their allies express their deep concerns and disappointment regarding the UN’s decision to move forward with the Doha III meeting by conceding to the Taliban’s demands that Afghan women and civil society be excluded from the process and that women’s and human rights should be removed from the agenda. The decision is yet another betrayal of trust and the commitments made on the full and equal inclusion of women and civil society in any and all negotiations and processes — trust and commitments made in countless statements and policies via UNSC resolutions like the WPS agenda resolutions and UNSC Resolution 2721 (2023), which:
“Encourages member states and all other relevant stakeholders to consider the independent assessment and implementation of its recommendations, especially increasing international engagement in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner,…and recogniz[ing] the need to ensure the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of Afghan women in the process throughout .“
As the decision and the potential meeting are a clear violation of trust and policy obligations, we call on the UN to delay the meeting until the UN and the Special Envoys have set forth a clear vision for a structured process and engagement with the Taliban and Afghan women and civil society as a priority.
Learning from sister movements like that of Syrian women peacebuilders, we call for the establishment of a Women’s Advisory Board, or similar coordination, that integrates diverse perspectives of Afghan women in all talks and processes related to peace and nation building in Afghanistan. Through this coordination, the UN and Special Envoys, together with Afghan women, can develop and issue a clear and coherent vision and strategy for structured engagement that outlines defined, achievable, and timebound milestones for the Afghanistan process.
The proposed agenda topics for Doha III should only be discussed with a diverse group of women actively contributing, planning, and deciding on solutions related to each topic—economy and private investment, the climate crisis, and counternarcotics. A diversity of perspectives is essential as these issues impact people and groups differently based on their identity, income, abilities and accessibility, among many other factors. The inclusion of Afghan women and civil society will therefore generate more transformative and sustainable solutions.
As the UN is issuing the narrative of the urgency of bringing the Taliban to the table to avoid any regional or global impacts from their continued self-isolation, we counter that narrative. Going forward with this meeting will have alarming regional and global implications. It will serve to normalize gender apartheid and keep women’s rights on the table as negotiable. This meeting will signal to other actors that accountability is not a priority, further entrenching the global backsliding on women’s and LGBTIQ rights.
It is the right and duty of Afghan women and civil society to lead, participate in, and have joint ownership of any process related to the nation and future building of our country. As Afghan women, who have been used as tokens, bargaining chips, and justification for war and peace, we are especially invested in building a future of Afghanistan that ensures equal protection and promotion of our agency and rights.
Women Peacebuilders and Human Rights Defenders of Afghanistan
Nargis Nehan Former Minister of Mines & Petroleum – Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Founder / Director – Canada’s Feminist Forum for Afghanistan (CFFA)
Guissou Jahangiri Vice president/Executive Director – FIDH/OPEN ASIA
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