Reaction to Criticism of Excluding Women from Doha Meeting; Dujarric: Women's Rights Will Be Highlighted in All Discussions

According to Reuters, on Sunday (June 23), Dujarric stated that the Doha sessions "are part of a process, not a one-time event," and that women and civil society remain part of this process.

He added that the purpose of the Doha meeting is to encourage the Taliban to engage with the international community through a coordinated and structured approach for the benefit of the Afghan people. Dujarric noted, "Human rights and the rights of women and girls will certainly be highlighted in all discussions by the United Nations."

It is worth mentioning that the third meeting of the special representatives on Afghanistan is scheduled to take place on the 30 June and 1July.

Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, and envoys from various countries will attend this meeting.

The Taliban have also announced their readiness to participate, but representatives of civil society and women will not be present at the main meeting. UN officials say discussions with representatives of civil society and women are scheduled to take place a day before and a day after the main meeting.

The exclusion of women and civil society representatives from the Doha meeting has faced severe criticism from activists and human rights organizations. Some Afghan citizens abroad have called for a protest to boycott this meeting.