Ireland has expressed its dismay, in unison with the global community, concerning the exclusion of Afghan women from a meeting held in Qatar, which was organised by the United Nations and included Afghanistan’s Taliban. The Taliban has remained unrecognised globally since assuming power in 2021 when the US-led forces retreated after two decades of conflict.
The meeting over two days conducted in Doha, was a pioneering attempt to bring the Taliban to the table. The dialogue included 25 countries’ specially appointed envoys for Afghanistan. The objective was to enhance cooperation with the Taliban and Afghanistan in a systematic approach. Afghan women, however, were denied entry.
Nelofer Pazira-Fisk, an Irish resident Afghan journalist and film director, outlined the potential role that the Irish Government could play as a part of the UN and Security Council. She criticised the acceptance of this exclusion. She further emphasised the necessity for international measures to incorporate women’s rights into any peace negotiations. She warned that a lack of protest will further embolden the Taliban and could result in increased oppression of Afghan women.
Though not a participant at Doha, a representative for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs stated that Ireland consistently advocates for women’s involvement in all stages of peace agreements, including UN-directed processes. The spokesperson also underlined Ireland’s solidarity with Afghanistan’s women and girls and its continued efforts to represent them on global platforms.
Both within and outside Afghanistan, several women activists shared these worries. Fawzia Koofi, an ex-parliamentarian from Afghanistan and women’s rights campaigner, urged the UN and international community to empower Afghan women to converse directly with the Taliban. She believed this would be a step feared by the leaders of the gender-segregated regime.
Ms Pazira-Fisk, who resides in Dalkey, County Dublin in a house she once shared with her late husband, renowned journalist Robert Fisk, expressed her displeasure at the decision to exclude Afghan women from an official conference, stating it was a grave offence to not only Afghan women living in Afghanistan but also those who had fled their nation due to the Taliban’s comeback.
Following the Taliban taking over Afghanistan in 2021, women have been witnessing a severe curtailment of their rights and liberties, including imposition of restrictions on higher education and employment, as well as limited mobility.
Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch aired her concerns about the ramifications of barring Afghan women from the meeting in Doha, stating it was potentially setting a concerning standard for international affairs.
The United Nations’ head of political affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, voiced her agreement with worries raised by international envoys regarding the exclusion of women from the conference on Monday. She acknowledged though, that the meeting’s organisers faced a difficult situation; they needed to organise a face-to-face discussion with the temporary rulers of Afghanistan and international representatives.
Regrettably, she explained that these temporary leaders refused to engage in dialogue with Afghan civil society in the proposed format. In a statement she made clear that the talks on Sunday and Monday with Taliban leaders did not equate to recognition of their regime, but was a component of a wider global effort to address the issues plaguing numerous Afghans.
The discussions on Monday focused particularly on the private sector and drugs. The text includes additional reporting from Reuters.