The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is dire, according to numerous United Nations reports. More than 50 percent of the population — some 23.7 million people — need humanitarian assistance. Nearly 3 million children are experiencing acute levels of hunger. And in April and May, some 120,000 people were affected by flash flooding and mudslides that destroyed entire villages and killed more than 340 people.
This is perhaps why the Taliban accepted an invitation to attend the third UN-convened meeting of Special Envoys and Special Representatives on Afghanistan, which will take place in Doha, Qatar, on June 30 and July 1.
Among the topics of discussion in Doha will be Afghanistan’s many crises and how they are interconnected with and exacerbated by the Taliban’s suppression of women’s rights. According to a recent United Nations report, Afghan women are subjected to decrees, policies, and systematized practices “with gender discrimination and mass oppression of women at their core.”
“Separate and independent U.N. bodies are now calling out the Taliban’s systemic human rights abuses,” said U.S. Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the U.N., Robert Wood.
“These reports outline in stark detail, the Taliban’s institutionalized efforts to erase women from society; sweeping gender persecution; callous treatment of persons with disabilities; and human rights abuses against members of ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities, as well as LGBTQI+ persons,” he said.
“The international community must continue to stand with the Afghan people — especially its women, girls, and members of marginalized communities,” said Ambassador Wood. “We must insist on reversing these oppressive measures; pushing for justice and accountability for abuses; and clarifying that human rights cannot be siloed or deprioritized.”
In Afghanistan, girls are barred from attending school beyond the 6th grade.
“The harm caused by the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls cannot be overstated,” said Ambassador Wood.
“[I]t has now been over 1,000 days since the Taliban banned girls from secondary schools. If these types of restrictions are allowed to continue, the pervasive and harmful impacts will affect Afghans from across the country for many years to come.”
“We must ensure that women and civil society participants have a voice in Doha,” said Ambassador Wood. “Their concerns must be highlighted in all deliberations on Afghanistan’s future.”
