United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reached Doha to host a two-day meeting on Afghanistan with the presence of special envoys of various countries. According to the UN, the Doha meeting will discuss how to reach a common understanding with the Taliban.
Diplomatic sources said that representatives of 25 countries and international organisations will attend the Doha meeting.
According to Maryam Rahmati, Afghanistan International’s correspondent in Doha, the UN-hosted meeting will be held behind closed doors, and journalists and photographers are not allowed to attend the meeting.
The United Nations has not provided much information to the media about the participants, the agenda, and even the venue of the meeting.
On Sunday, the UN spokesperson said in a statement, "On May 1 and 2, the Secretary General of the Organisation will host representatives of countries for Afghanistan to reach common views on key issues such as human rights, rights of women and girls, inclusive governance, and counterterrorism and anti-narcotics issues.”
The announcement added that the purpose of the Doha meeting is to build a consensus among the stakeholders regarding engagement with the Taliban.
The United Nations had previously rejected that there will not be any discussion regarding the official recognition of the Taliban in the Doha meeting. However, engagement with the Taliban seems to be the focus of the Doha meeting.
The Taliban has asked the participating countries that beyond engagement, they should discuss the official recognition of the Taliban.
The United Nations has not invited the Taliban to the Doha meeting.
Despite international criticism and condemnation in the Security Council, the Taliban has refused to lift the ban on the work of female staffers of the UN and other non-profit organisations in Afghanistan.
