KABUL (Pajhwok): UN Under-Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo has met Afghan civil society activists on human rights issues on the sidelines of third Doha meeting on Afghanistan.
Rosemary confirmed that she had met Afghan society activists.
She told reporters: “This morning, we heard views from members of Afghan civil society, women and men, who provided us – the special envoys and the UN – with valuable insights on the rights of women and minorities in the country, girls’ education, the media, business and many other issues.”
She added: “They shared their views and perspectives on the Doha process, as well as on engagement between Afghanistan and the international community generally.”
The exchange of views was extremely important and useful, she commenting, recalling extensive discussions with a broad range of voices at the second UN-led meeting in Doha.
Meanwhile, US special representatives Tom West and Rina Amiri, who also attended the third Doha conference, said the Afghan economy could not grow while half of the population’s rights were not respected.
State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a statement: “We committed to participating in this (Doha meeting) after receiving assurances from the UN that the discussion would meaningfully address human rights, particularly the plight of women and girls, and importantly, that there would be opportunities for engagement in Doha with Afghan women and civil society.”
However, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who led the Afghan delegation, said they had conveyed their message to the world at the UN-led meeting.
He called girls’ education an internal issue that would be resolved inside Afghanistan.
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