Three prominent Afghan women, including Habiba Sarabi, Nabila Musleh, and Zubaida Akbar boycotted the third Doha meeting on Sunday, citing various concerns regarding their exclusion and the meeting’s agenda.
Former Bamyan governor and member of Afghanistan’s previous peace negotiating team Habiba Sarabi with the Taliban, declared her decision not to attend in a statement released just before the meeting commenced.
She pointed out several reasons for her boycott, notably the UN’s failure to implement UNSC Resolution 2721.
She said the resolution mandates the appointment of a Special Envoy and emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive and secure participation of Afghan women throughout the peace process.
Sarabi criticized the meeting’s agenda, noting a shift away from political solutions towards technical issues.
She expressed disappointment that a session involving civil society representatives was relegated to a sideline event, arguing that it contradicted principles of inclusive and meaningful participation for women.
Sarabi said that an urgent need for women to have a central role in the main discussions with special envoys, rather than being sidelined.
Addressing the deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, Sarabi’s statement highlighted concerns about the lack of mechanisms to hold the Taliban accountable for systematic violations against women, the Hazara community, and religious minorities.
Meanwhile, women’s rights activist Nabila Musleh announced that she would not participate in the meeting.
Musleh said that women should be actively involved in substantive discussions at the main negotiation table, rather than being relegated to the sidelines.
“Women should be at the main negotiation table and involved in the substantive discussions, not on the sidelines. Therefore, participating in a sideline meeting will only be at the level of attending an event, which I will not attend.”
Another advocate for women’s rights Zubaida Akbar also posted on X her refusal to attend, underscoring the importance of Afghan women shaping the agenda and prioritizing their rights at the forefront of discussions in Doha.
“Given that Afghanistan is the world’s most serious crisis, I am outraged by the UN’s decision to exclude women from Doha 3 on the Taliban’s terms, undermining its own commitments to uphold women’s rights and women’s meaningful participation,” the statement stated.
The United Nations, hosting the third Doha meeting on June 30 and July 1, faced criticism for allegedly excluding women from meaningful participation on terms set by the Taliban.
Despite protests and calls for inclusion, seats designated for women representatives and civil society remained empty, with the issue of women notably absent from the official agenda.
Responding to criticism, the UN added a day to the meeting’s schedule for sideline discussions, inviting a limited number of women to participate.
Seven women and five men were invited to represent Afghan women and civil society.
