A recent meeting led by the United Nations in Qatar with the Taliban focused on increasing engagement with Afghanistan but did not signify a recognition of their government, according to a U.N. official. The gathering in Doha included envoys from around two dozen countries and marked the first time that representatives of the Afghan Taliban administration participated in a U.N.-sponsored meeting.
The Taliban had not been invited to the initial meeting, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres revealed that they had set unacceptable conditions for attending a previous meeting in February. These conditions included demands to exclude Afghan civil society members from the talks and to be treated as the legitimate rulers of the country.
Prior to the Doha meeting, Afghan women representatives were excluded, allowing the Taliban to send their envoys. However, organizers assured that women's rights issues would still be addressed during the discussions.
The U.N. official for political and peacebuilding affairs emphasized that the meeting and engagement process did not imply normalization or recognition. The hope is that the constructive exchanges during the two-day event have brought the parties closer to resolving issues impacting the Afghan people.
The chief Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, who led the delegation to Doha, mentioned that they had the opportunity to engage with representatives from various countries on the sidelines of the meeting. He highlighted the importance of cooperation in areas such as the private sector and combating drug-related issues, noting that most countries expressed willingness to collaborate in these areas.
Following the Taliban's assumption of power in August 2021, no country has officially recognized their government. The U.N. reiterated that recognition remains practically unattainable as long as restrictions on female education and employment persist in Afghanistan.
While some participants, like Canada, expressed disappointment over the exclusion of women and civil society representatives from the main sessions, the U.N. official stressed that the voices of these groups were still heard during the discussions. Civil society was acknowledged to have a crucial role in shaping Afghanistan's future.
