Outrage as Afghan women excluded from UN-led talks with Taliban

KABUL: Afghanistan´s Taliban authorities will meet international envoys on Sunday in Qatar for talks presented by the United Nations as a key step in an engagement process, but condemned by rights groups for sidelining Afghan women.

The Taliban government has not been officially recognised by any state and the international community has wrestled with its approach to Afghanistan´s new rulers.

When the UN, some 25 envoys including from the United States and a Taliban delegation meet in Doha on June 30 and July 1, the agenda will include economic issues and counter-narcotics.

But the exclusion of civil society groups including women´s rights activists has sparked an outcry.

“Caving into the Taliban´s conditions to secure their participation in the talks would risk legitimising their gender-based institutionalised system of oppression,” said head of Amnesty International Agnes Callamard in a statement.

“Sidelining critical discussions on human rights would be unacceptable and set a deeply damaging precedent.”

Taliban authorities were excluded from the first talks in May last year. They refused an invitation in February, insisting on being the only Afghan representatives at the official meeting, to the exclusion of civil society groups.

In this round, that condition has been met. The UN and international delegations will have the chance to meet with civil society representatives, including women´s rights groups, on July 2, after the close of the main meetings.