_{The Taliban’s Foreign Minster Amir Khan Muttaqi.} Photo

The Taliban have insisted that only men represent Afghanistan at the upcoming UN meeting in Doha, and they have requested that women’s rights not be addressed on the agenda, Daryo.uz reports on June 24th.  The meeting scheduled on June 30, focuses on assessing the global community’s actions in response to Afghanistan.

Since taking control in August 2021, the Taliban have drastically limited women’s access to employment, education and public spaces. Recent reports also indicate a return to harsh punishments, including mass beatings and stoning for adultery.

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Rights organizations and former politicians have decried the exclusion of women from the upcoming meeting. Tirana Hassan, executive director of Human Rights Watch, warned that such exclusion could legitimize the Taliban’s violent practices and damage the UN’s credibility as a champion of women’s rights. She underscored that the principles of law, democracy, and sustainable peace are unattainable without the participation of women, who constitute half of society.

Another representative described the situation in Afghanistan as the world’s most severe crisis for women’s rights. They asserted that the UN should not hold this meeting without addressing women’s rights and ensuring the participation of Afghan women.

Daryo.uz, Guardian and agencies