Doha [Qatar], June 30 : Reports from the venue of the third Doha meeting in Qatar indicate that the head of the UN body for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva and special representatives of the European Union and Pakistan, Thomas Nicholson, and Asif Durrani, arrived in Doha on Saturday, The Khaama Press reported.

The third Doha meeting will be hosted by Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Deputy Secretary-General, in the Qatari capital on Monday and Tuesday. DiCarlo has not yet arrived in Doha, but a UN spokesperson confirmed her travel to Qatar.

The presence of Roza Otunbayeva and Mark Poots, the head and deputy political head of UNAMA, respectively, at the venue of the Doha meeting, has been confirmed, along with special envoys from the European Union and Pakistan arriving for Afghanistan.

Representatives from over 20 countries and delegates from several international organisations are participating in the second session of Doha, and a delegation from the Taliban will also be present at this conference, The Khaama Press reported.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said that the delegation from the Taliban-led government will engage in talks with special representatives from various countries and institutions on Sunday and Monday, Tolo News reported.

"Then on Tuesday in Doha, Ms. DiCarlo and the Special Envoys are set to meet with representatives of Afghan civil society, including human rights and women's organizations and advocates. The Under-Secretary-General will raise the rights of women and girls, human rights in general and political inclusion in the discussions in Doha that she will be having with the de facto authorities," Dujarric said.

Civil society and women representatives of Afghanistan, who have been key players in other international conferences on Afghanistan, have not been invited to the third Doha meeting, sparking widespread domestic and international criticism, The Khaama Press reported.

According to the UN rapporteur and other international observers, critics argue that excluding women and civil society from the Doha talks will come at a high cost.

Ahead of the meeting, Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo said: "The Doha discussions are part of a process; they are not a one-off. The ultimate objective of this process is for Afghanistan to be at peace with itself and its neighbours, fully integrated into the international community and meeting its international obligations, including on human rights, particularly those of women and girls

The Taliban has not been internationally recognised since seizing power in August 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war. Since the Taliban returned to power, most girls have been barred from high school and women from universities. The Taliban have also stopped most Afghan female staff from working at aid agencies, closed beauty salons, barred women from parks and curtailed travel for women in the absence of a male guardian.

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