Fawzia Koofi: Disregarding Afghan Women’s Rights at the Doha Conference
Fawzia Koofi alleges that the Taliban have initiated their war against Afghan women, silencing their voices across the country through violence and torture. In an article published in The Guardian, she points out that by excluding women from the Doha talks, the United Nations has assisted the Taliban in silencing women’s voices internationally.
Fawzia Koofi, a women’s rights activist, asserts that the Taliban’s presence in the Doha meetings and the omission of women’s rights from the agenda have deeply disappointed Afghan women. As a former member of the Afghan Parliament, she states that growing concerns in international communities and UN agencies in Afghanistan reflect doubts about their responsiveness to Taliban human rights violations and ensuring their participation in the Doha talks.
She adds that issues such as combating drugs and the private sector are marginal matters raised to secure Taliban participation in the Doha agenda. According to Koofi, this means that fundamental issues like education, employment, and active participation of Afghan women and girls in society have been ignored in this conference.
She criticizes UN Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo for easily disregarding realities that the global community, including Islamic scholars, has raised similar concerns with the Taliban for over three years without tangible results.
This women’s rights advocate believes that the agenda of the third Doha meeting clearly contradicts UN charters and Security Council resolutions, urging the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special representative for Afghanistan and ensure the participation of all parties, especially Afghan women’s groups.
Koofi, with experience in peace negotiations with the Taliban, has further claimed that the third Doha meeting overlooks a legal framework and the formation of a comprehensive government that guarantees the presence of all segments of society.
She writes in her article that Afghan citizens value democratic principles and values that the international community has advocated for over 20 years, which are crucial to them.
Concluding her article, she emphasizes that the international community, which supports free elections and women’s rights, is inclined to compromise its values in engaging with the Taliban, leaving Afghans bewildered.
