The United Nations (UN) organised a two-day meeting on Afghanistan in the Qatari capital, Doha, on 1–2 May 2023. Reportedly, representatives of approximately 20 countries participated in the closed-door conference to coordinate with international players on key issues facing Afghanistan.[i] The Taliban administration, which captured power in Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, was not invited to take part in the conference.
Objective of the meeting
The primary objective for convening the meeting was to develop a common international approach towards Afghanistan. Although there were some reports that the issue of the recognition of the Taliban government might be on the agenda, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres clarified that the meeting was “not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities.”[ii] Rather, it aimed to reinvigorate international engagement around key issues such as humanitarian crises, human rights, in particular women’s and girls’ rights, inclusive governance, countering terrorism, and drug trafficking.[iii]
Reflecting on not being invited to the meeting, the Taliban’s designate Ambassador to the UN, Suhail Shaheen, issued a statement stating, “Any meeting without participation of IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) representatives is unproductive and even sometimes counter productive…it is IEA’s legitimate right to be allowed to express its position by participating in such meetings. How a decision taken at such meetings can be acceptable or implemented while we are not part of the process? It is discriminatory and unjustified”.[iv]
UN Secretary-General, while addressing the issue of the absence of the Taliban from the meeting, said it was not the right time for him to directly engage with the Afghan rulers. He told reporters at a press conference that he would hold similar meetings in the future as well.
What transpired in the meeting?
One reason why the de facto authorities were isolated relates to the Taliban’s treatment of women. The participants of the meeting entered the meeting with the unanimous Security Council resolution 2681[v] of 27 April calling for full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and girls in Afghanistan. According to the UNSC Statement[vi] on the Doha meeting, the spirit of unity shown in the adoption of the resolution was carried over into the meeting by the participants. They agreed on the need for a common strategy of engagement that not only allows for the stabilization of Afghanistan; but also allows for addressing important concerns such as the persistent presence of terrorist organizations in Taliban ruled Afghanistan, the lack of inclusivity, lack of rights ( which importantly includes human rights, in particular those of women and girls ) and drug trafficking. Overall, the participants unanimously expressed their concerns about the implications of an unstable Afghanistan.
Although the UNSC statement[vii] indicated that the Doha meeting discussed a wide range of critical issues pertaining to Afghanistan, the international media coverage focused on the issue of women’s rights and suggested that the gender question dominated the conversations. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has introduced a series of curbs on women’s freedoms. From 28th April 2023, women nationals have also been barred from working with the UN in a country where nearly 29 million people depend on humanitarian assistance. UN finds the Taliban’s latest move unacceptable as it threatens the work of aid agencies. The UN Secretary General, while addressing the press after the two-day meeting said, “Let me be crystal clear, we will never be silent in the face of unprecedented systemic attacks on women’s and girls’ rights. We’ll always speak out when millions of women and girls are being silenced and erased from sight.”[viii] Senior UN officials have been meeting in Doha and Kabul, without the Taliban to decide on the future of the UN mission in Afghanistan.
At the end of April, the UN chief made it clear that the Taliban would not be invited to the meeting and that Taliban recognition was not on the agenda. His statement came after members of the Afghan diaspora and some Western countries expressed concerns about the possible recognition of the Taliban administration in the wake of a statement by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.[ix] In an open letter, a coalition of Afghan women’s groups said they were “outraged” that any country would consider formal ties because of the record of the government, which says its handling of women’s rights is “an internal social issue”.[x]
The Taliban administration remains diplomatically isolated as no country has recognised it, and many of its senior leaders remain under international sanctions. Yet, several countries have engaged with the Taliban ever since they recaptured power in Afghanistan. The meeting, thus, can be seen as an effort to get the international community on the same page, speaking with one voice. How far the UN’s efforts have been fruitful will be known in the days to come. To conclude, it can be argued that; although the Doha meeting was crucial for the international community’s engagement with Afghanistan, there hasn’t been any significant outcome from the meeting. Perhaps the only concrete thing that has been announced is that the UN will convene another meeting on Afghanistan, possibly three to six months from now. The UN is expected to review its critical relief operation in Afghanistan in the wake of Afghan women being stopped from working with the global agency- currently it faced a difficult choice, whether or not to continue its operations in Afghanistan. However, one thing is apparent from the recently concluded meeting in Doha; is that the international community is not contemplating recognition of the Taliban regime any time soon.
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*Dr. Anwesha Ghosh, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.
Endnotes
[i] “UN chief says ‘not the right time’ to engage with Taliban.” Al Jazeera, May 2, 2023. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/2/un-chief-says-not-the-right-time-to-engage-with-taliban. (Accessed on 3 May 2023).
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] “Guterres convenes meeting in Doha to discuss key issues in Afghanistan.”. UN News, 30 April 2023. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/04/1136217 (Accessed on 3 May 2023).
[iv] “Any meeting without participation of IEA representatives is unproductive & even sometimes counterproductive: Suhail Shaheen” Sabah News, May 1, 2023. Available at: https://sabahnews.net/english/news/any-meeting-without-participation-of-iea-representatives-is-unproductive-even-sometimes-counterproductive-suhail-shaheen/ (Accessed on 3 May 2023).
[v] “ The Situation in Afghanistan”. UNSC Resolution, 27 April, 2023. Available at: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N23/121/49/PDF/N2312149.pdf?OpenElement (Accessed on 3 May 2023).
[vi] “Secretary-General's press encounter on Afghanistan” UNSC Statement, Amy 2, 2023. Available at: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/press-encounter/2023-05-02/secretary-generals-press-encounter-afghanistan (Accessed on 9.5.2023)
[vii] Ibid
[viii] ibid
[ix] “Top UN Official Proposes Meeting to Discuss Recognition of Taliban.” Voice of America, 18 April 2023. Available at: https://www.voanews.com/a/top-un-official-proposes-meeting-to-discuss-recognition-of-taliban/7055782.html (Accessed on 3 May 2023).
[x] UN chief says ‘not the right time’ to engage with Taliban.” Al Jazeera, May 2, 2023. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/2/un-chief-says-not-the-right-time-to-engage-with-taliban. (Accessed on 3 May 2023).