Afghan women urge United Nations for active role at Doha conference
Feb 02, 2024
Kabul [Afghanistan], February 2 : The prominent members of women's protest movements have urged the United Nations to advocate for the active participation of women in the Doha Conference, scheduled to be held in Afghanistan, as reported by Khaama Press.
In a letter sent to the UN, the Afghan women highlighted that any decision regarding Afghanistan's fate without consulting women would not be acceptable.
The open letter carries the signatures of approximately 10 protest movements and was released on Wednesday, following a virtual meeting among women's rights activists.
Notably, the Doha Conference, initiated by the United Nations, is scheduled to be held on February 18 and 19, according to Khaama Press.
This is the second Doha Conference focused on Afghanistan, with the first one hosted by the United Nations approximately eight months ago.
Reportedly, during the initial Doha Conference, Afghan women were not represented.
Moreover, the letter sent to the UN states that the meaningful presence of women is crucial, given the ongoing violations of women's rights in Afghanistan, including arbitrary detentions of girls, gender-based violence, and acts of gender apartheid, Khaama Press reported.
Officials from the Taliban government have also been invited to attend this conference.
However, as women remain deprived of basic human rights in Afghanistan, the women's rights activists argued that women protesters have been fighting against the Taliban's harsh actions against women for the past two and a half years and should be included in the conference.
One of the women's rights activists, Mina Rafiq, emphasised that women who are actively opposing the policies of the Taliban should be invited to the Doha conference.
"In previous conferences, genuine women representatives were absent, and it was ineffective. In the Doha conference, women who are actively opposing and fighting against the policies of the Taliban should be invited," she said.
The core agenda of the Doha conference is to discuss and negotiate the proposals put forth by Feridun Sinirioghlu, a former Turkish diplomat, as reported by Khaama Press.
Additionally, according to the sources, discussions will take place during this conference regarding the appointment of a new UN envoy for Afghanistan.
