Doha –
Taliban authorities have been told that women must be part of public life, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said on Monday as she defended a decision to sideline civil society groups from official talks in Doha.
Human rights groups have strongly criticized the UN’s controversial decision to exclude certain groups, including women’s rights activists, from the two-day meeting on Afghanistan, saying it was the price for the Taliban government’s participation.
“The authorities will not be sitting at the table with Afghan civil society in this format, but they have heard very clearly that women and civil society must be involved in all aspects of public life,” DiCarlo told a news conference in Doha.
