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UN downplays absence of special envoys at meeting with Afghan women, civil society in Doha

Afghan women and civil society representatives had been barred from the formal two-day meeting, which included a delegation from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

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The United Nations spokesperson for the secretary-general Stéphane Dujarric has downplayed the absence of many special envoys at their meeting with Afghan civil society representatives in Doha on Tuesday.

Dujarric said the UN is not in a position to tell country representatives which meeting to attend.

This comes after the UN Under-Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo met separately with civil society members on Tuesday after the two-day special envoys meeting on Afghanistan in Doha wrapped up Monday.

Afghan women and civil society representatives had been barred from the formal two-day meeting, which included a delegation from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Dujarric also stated the third Doha meeting had not been an intra-Afghan meeting.

The exclusion of women and civil society representatives from the formal meeting had become a topic of debate over the past few days with critics lashing out at the UN for not having demanded clear and measurable steps toward the restoration and protection of women’s rights as a crucial initial step toward engagement.

The Diplomat reports that instead, UN leadership has shown it is prepared to treat the fundamental human rights of half of Afghanistan’s population as a mere afterthought.

Dujarric meanwhile said that each special envoy could talk about human rights, women's rights and the issue of drugs.

He added that DiCarlo and Roza Otunbayeva, head of UNAMA, had raised the issue of women in the formal meeting and in their previous meetings in Kabul with the Islamic Emirate.

Dujarric emphasized that the issue of women and human rights is something that the United Nations deals with every day and is at the top of all the discussions of this organization.

On Tuesday, DiCarlo said at a press conference that there “really is a need to build trust on all sides”.

She said it was important to have dialogue “that’s built on honesty”.

“It’s got to be based on principles, those of the UN Charter, and various human rights treaties that Afghanistan is a party to.”

She also stated: “Human rights and especially the rights of women and girls , and inclusion of all members of society will continue to be an integral part of our discussions.”

 

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Suicide bombing in Kunduz kills 5, injures 7

Jumaddin Khaksar, a spokesman for the provincial police headquarters, added that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives near Kabul Bank in Kunduz city.

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A spokesman for the Kunduz police headquarters says five people were killed and seven others injured in a suicide bombing on Tuesday morning.

Jumaddin Khaksar, a spokesman for the provincial police headquarters, added that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives near Kabul Bank in Kunduz city.

According to Khaksar, the victims of the incident include security personnel, bank guards and civilians.

He added that no one has been arrested in connection with the explosion and that efforts are underway by security forces to identify the perpetrators of the explosion.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

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Norwegian Refugee Council NGO to suspend aid work in over 20 countries due to Trump policy

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the administration would reach out to USAID to identify and designate programs that would be exempted from the stop-work orders.

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The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said on Monday it would suspend humanitarian work in nearly 20 countries worldwide after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on U.S. foreign aid worldwide when he took office on January 20, Reuters reported.

The non-governmental organisation received just under 20% of its funding from the United States in 2024, or around $150 million, it said, with that funding helping some 1.6 million people worldwide.

"We have, in our 79-year history, never experienced such an abrupt discontinuation of aid funding from any of our many donor nations, inter-governmental organisations, or private donor agencies," the NRC said in a statement.

The agency said the consequences of suspending aid would become increasingly serious for people facing crises around the world.

Already in Ukraine, NRC said, it had to halt the scheduled February distribution of emergency support to 57,000 people in communities along the front lines and had to lay off staff worldwide.

The Trump administration said last Monday it would put on leave all directly hired employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) globally and recall thousands of personnel working overseas, read the report.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the administration would reach out to USAID to identify and designate programs that would be exempted from the stop-work orders.

However, the NRC said it was unable to take advantage of the temporary waiver unless the U.S. government resumed payments to its partners for work completed before the foreign assistance pause.

"We currently have millions of dollars in outstanding payment requests to the U.S. government. Without an immediate solution we may, at the end of February, be forced to halt U.S.-funded lifesaving humanitarian programmes," it said.

That included supplying clean water to 300,000 people trapped in the blockaded city of Djibo in Burkina Faso, and cutting funding to nearly 500 bakeries in Darfur, Sudan, which provide food hundreds of thousands of people, the NRC said.

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IEA slams Netanyahu’s suggestion Saudi Arabia host Palestinian state

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Monday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion that Saudi Arabia’s land be used to establish a Palestinian state.

IEA’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the suggestion is “unrealistic and flagrant violation of internationally recognized facts and Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.”

“Such statements by Netanyahu constitute a direct affront to established norms and a clear infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinians,” the statement said.

The IEA reiterated that Palestine is “the rightful land of the Palestinian people,” adding that “as long as the occupation continues, the inalienable rights of Palestinian people will remain violated, Gaza and the broader region will remain unstable, and such scenario benefits no one.”

On Thursday, Netanyahu told Channel 14: “The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there.”

President Donald Trump meanwhile has said he is "committed to buying and owning" the Gaza Strip and relocating the two million Palestinians living there. This comes despite global condemnation of the plan he unveiled last week.

He told reporters that he might allow Middle East countries to be involved in rebuilding parts of the territory and that he would make sure the Palestinian refugees would "live beautifully".

Hamas and Palestinians reiterated that Palestinian land was "not for sale".

But Netanyahu praised Trump's proposal as "revolutionary and creative".

 

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