UN Secretary-General has convened a meeting with special envoys on Afghanistan in Doha next week, but the strange thing is that the Taliban administration, which currently runs Kabul has not been invited. It is not clear if Pakistan has been invited to the moot or not.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said they have not invited the Taliban administration to the meeting to be attended by special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries in Doha next week.
The meeting, which will be held on Monday and Tuesday, is instead intended to focus on reinvigorating “the international engagement around common objectives for a durable way forward on … Afghanistan,” according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Last week the United Nations had to stress that the meeting will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration after comments by the deputy UN chief sparked concern and confusion.
The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew following 20 years of war.
In December, the 193-member UN General Assembly approved postponing, for the second time, a decision on whether to recognize the Afghan Taliban administration by allowing them to send a United Nations ambassador to New York.
The UN Security Council unanimously condemned on Thursday a Taliban administration ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan and called on Taliban leaders to “swiftly reverse” a crackdown on the rights of women and girls.
The Taliban says it respects women’s rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. Taliban officials said decisions on female aid workers are an “internal issue.”
