Doha, Qatar:

Taliban authorities were told women must be included in public life, UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said on Monday as she defended a decision to sideline civil society groups at official talks in Doha.

Rights organisations have strongly criticised the controversial UN move to exclude the groups, including women’s rights activists, from the two-day meeting on Afghanistan as the price for the Taliban government’s participation.

“Authorities will not sit across the table with Afghan civil society in this format, but they have heard very clearly the need to include women and civil society in all aspects of public life”, DiCarlo told a Doha news conference.

The UN-hosted meeting began on Sunday and is the third such gathering to be held in Qatar in a little over a year, but the first to include the Taliban authorities who seized power in Afghanistan for a second time in 2021.

The talks were due to discuss increasing engagement with Afghanistan and a more coordinated response to the country, including economic issues and counter-narcotics efforts.

The international community has wrestled with its approach to the Taliban since they returned to power, with no country officially recognising its government.

 ‘Gender apartheid’ 

The group has imposed a strict interpretation of Islam, with women subjected to laws characterised by the UN as “gender apartheid”.

The Taliban refused an invitation to Doha talks in February, insisting on being the only Afghan representatives, to the exclusion of civil society groups. But their condition was accepted in the build-up to this latest round.

The United States said it agreed to participate in Monday’s talks after receiving assurances that the talks would meaningfully discuss human rights.

US point man on Afghanistan Thomas West and Rina Amiri, the US special envoy on the rights of Afghan women and girls, in Doha “made clear that the Afghan economy cannot grow while half the population’s rights are not respected”, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

DiCarlo, who chaired the UN talks in the Qatari capital, said she “hopes” that “there’ll be new consideration” of Taliban government policy on women in public life including girls’ education.

The UN and international delegations will have the chance to meet with civil society representatives, including women’s rights groups, following the close of the main meetings.

But Amnesty International chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement ahead of the talks that “caving into the Taliban’s conditions to secure their participation in the talks would risk legitimising their gender-based institutionalised system of oppression”.

The Taliban authorities have repeatedly said the rights of all citizens are guaranteed under Islamic law.

The head of the Taliban delegation, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, told the more than 20 assembled special envoys and UN officials at the opening session that diplomats should “find ways of interaction and understanding rather than confrontation”, despite “natural” differences in policy.

 ‘Engaging constructively’ 

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is keen on engaging constructively with Western nations as well,” Mujahid said.

“Like any sovereign state, we uphold certain religious and cultural values and public aspirations that must be acknowledged,” he added.

Mujahid also pressed to end sanctions, saying Afghans are “being ganged up on”.

The Taliban government spokesman questioned whether ongoing sanctions were “fair practice” after “wars and insecurity for almost half a century as a result of foreign invasions and interference”.

Russia, which has maintained an embassy in Kabul, hinted it could drop its own sanctions, saying the group were the de facto authorities.

“We’ve been saying consistently that you have to recognise this fact and deal with them as such because, whether you like it or not, this movement is running the country now. You cannot simply ignore that,” said Russia’s envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya.

DiCarlo said the issue of sanctions was “raised” but not discussed in depth.

“It’s a member-state issue whether they’re going to continue certain sanctions or not. The sanctions are on people, not on the country at large,” she said

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United Nations:

Yoga symbolises the strivings of the world organisation for global unity, according to its leaders celebrating the International Day recognising the ancient discipline.

UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis said on Friday that Yoga is “a powerful metaphor for the United Nations itself”.

“Just as yoga brings together various aspects of the human experience to create a balanced whole, the United Nations unites diverse nations and cultures to work towards common goals,” he said in a video message to the 10th International Day of Yoga celebrations here.

“In this unity distinct parts come together to form a unified sum greater than its parts, symbolising peace and harmony as we unite today in this celebration,” he added.

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who attended the event, said yoga’s power to unify is visible at the celebrations at the UN.

“Yoga is about unity, the unity of mind, of body, and spirit. It is about you, it is about me and it’s about us, and at the UN today, we see how it unites people across cultures and countries,” she added.

She recalled last year’s celebration with Prime Minister Narendra Modi which made the Guinness Book of World Records for the most nationalities practicing yoga together.

“That achievement was a wonderful and powerful symbol of yoga’s global popularity, its universal appeal, and its power to bring people together in their shared interests and their shared humanity,” she said.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a written message, “This year’s theme — ‘Yoga for Self and Society’ — reminds us of yoga’s important role in enhancing people’s lives and wider community.”

“Now embraced worldwide by people of all faiths and cultures, yoga unites people with its values of balance, mindfulness and peace with people and planet alike,” he added.

As a gentle breeze from the East River wafted across the UN Headquarters North Lawn on a blistering hot day, the celebration featured a mass yoga exercise with the participation of diplomats and UN staff from across the world and invitees from the Indian diaspora clad in white and blue T-shirts emblazoned with the Yoga Day logo.

Denise Scotto, the Chair of the UN’s International Day of Yoga Committee, said that it was “remarkable” that 177 countries co-sponsored the 2014 General Assembly resolution declaring June 21 the International Day of Yoga.

“It demonstrates the unity from across the globe,” she added.

The UN Chamber Music Society performed Rabindranath Tagore’s “Streams of Light” in Bengali.

The Indian Raga dance troupe performed classical dances, one of them incorporating “yoga postures”.

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United Nations:

At the request of Baghdad, the UN Security Council unanimously decided Friday that the United Nations political mission in Iraq would leave the country at the end of 2025 after more than 20 years.

Earlier this month, in a letter to the council, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani called for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) to be closed.

Al-Sudani said UNAMI had overcome “great and varied challenges” and that “the grounds for having a political mission in Iraq” no longer exist.

The UNSC resolution adopted on Friday extended the mission’s mandate for “a final 19-month period until 31 December 2025 after which UNAMI will cease all work and operations.”

The mission was established by a UN Security Council resolution in 2003 at the request of the Iraqi government after the US-led invasion and fall of Saddam Hussein.

It advises the government on political dialogue and reconciliation, as well as helping with elections and security sector reform.

During the mission’s previous renewal in May 2023, the Council asked the secretary-general to launch a strategic review, which was overseen by German diplomat Volker Perthes.

In a report issued in March, Perthes signaled that an end to the mandate could be appropriate, concluding that “the two-year period identified by the government for the mission’s drawdown can be a sufficient time frame to make further progress.”

He also said that the period would provide time to reassure reluctant Iraqis that the transition “will not lead to a reversal of democratic gains or threaten peace and security.”

Given that UN missions can only operate with the host nation’s consent, Russia, China, Britain and France this month all voiced support for a transition in the partnership between Iraq and the United Nations.

The United States was more vague, with UN ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield saying UNAMI still had “important work to do,” and making no mention of Baghdad’s request.

She emphasized the mission’s role in organizing elections and promoting human rights, even though Iraq asked that the mission focus more on economic issues.

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Geneva:

The Gaza Strip has become a graveyard for thousands of children, the United Nations said Tuesday, as it feared the prospect of more dying of dehydration.

Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping at least 240 others, according to Israeli officials.

The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said the strikes have killed more than 8,500 people, mainly civilians.

The UN children’s agency UNICEF said there was a risk that the number of child deaths directly from bombardment could become eclipsed.

“Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realised in just a fortnight,” UNICEF spokesman James Elder said in a statement.

“The numbers are appalling; reportedly more than 3,450 children killed; staggeringly this rises significantly every day.”

“Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It’s a living hell for everyone else.”

He said the more than one million children living in the Gaza Strip were also suffering from a lack of clean water.

“Gaza’s water production capacity is a mere five percent of its usual daily output. Child deaths — particularly infants — to dehydration are a growing threat,” he said.

UNICEF is calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, with all access crossings into Gaza opened for the safe, sustained and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid, including water, food, medical supplies, and fuel.

“And if there is no ceasefire, no water, no medicine, and no release of abducted children? Then we hurtle towards even greater horrors afflicting innocent children,” said Elder.

“There are certainly children who are dying who have been impacted by the bombardment but should have had their lives saved,” Elder told reporters in Geneva, via video-link.

He said that without greater humanitarian access into the Gaza Strip, “then the deaths from the attacks, they could absolutely be the tip of the iceberg”.

Elder said that according to figures from health faculties in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, some 940 children were missing.

UN humanitarian agency spokesman Jens Laerke added: “It’s almost unbearable to think about children buried under rubble, but (with) very little opportunity or possibility for getting them out.”

The World Health Organization said people in Gaza were dying not just from direct bombardment.

“We have 130 premature infants that are dependent on incubators, of which 61 percent approximately are in the north,” said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier.

“It’s an imminent public health catastrophe that looms with the mass displacement, the overcrowding, and the damage to water and sanitation infrastructure.”

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United Nations, United States:

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Wednesday calling for a “humanitarian pause” in the raging Israel-Hamas conflict as the text did not respect Israel’s right to defend itself, the US ambassador said.

Twelve out of 15 Council members voted in favor of the resolution put forward by Brazil and negotiated over several days, while Russia and the United Kingdom abstained.

The United States was the only vote against, but as one of the body’s five permanent members its vote counts as a veto.

“The United States is disappointed this resolution made no mention of Israel’s rights of self defense,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote.

The resolution said the Council “firmly condemns all violence and hostilities against civilians and all acts of terrorism.”

It said the body “unequivocally rejects and condemns the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas… and the taking of hostages.”

The text also “urges all parties to fully comply with their obligations under international law.”

The vote comes after the Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian resolution condemning spiraling violence in the Middle East.

That resolution did not single out Hamas for its surprise attack on Israel on October 7, and it was rejected by permanent members the United States, the United Kingdom and France, as well as Japan.

The assault on Israel left at least 1,400 people dead and saw Hamas militants take 199 people hostage.

Israel has retaliated with air strikes that have now claimed the lives of 3,478 people, according to health officials.

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Baku:

A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, Azerbaijan said, after almost the entire ethnic-Armenian population fled since Baku recaptured the breakaway enclave.

An Azerbaijani presidency spokesman told AFP that a “UN mission arrived in Karabakh on Sunday morning” — mainly to assess humanitarian needs.

It marks the first time in about 30 years that the international body has gained access to the region.

Armenian separatists, who had controlled the region for three decades, agreed to disarm, dissolve their government and reintegrate with Baku following a one-day Azerbaijani offensive last week.

The end of Karabakh’s separatist bid dealt a heavy blow to a centuries-old dream by Armenians of reuniting what they say are their ancestral lands, divided among regional powers since the Middle Ages.

Nearly all of Karabakh’s estimated 120,000 residents fled the territory over the following days, sparking a refugee crisis.

On Sunday, Armenia observed a national day of prayer for the region.

Bells tolled in churches across the country, and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II, lead a service in the nation’s main cathedral Echmiadzin, close to the capital Yerevan.

Clergymen in ornate robes sang ancient chants at an open-air altar outside the imposing cathedral built in a pale pink limestone.

Yerevan has accused Baku of “ethnic cleansing” — an allegation that Baku rejected — calling on Armenians not to leave their homes and reintegrate with Azerbaijan where their rights would be respected.

Armenia, a country of 2.8 million, faces a major challenge housing the sudden influx of refugees.

Authorities said 35,000 were now in temporary accommodation.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Friday announced an emergency appeal for 20 million Swiss Francs ($22 million) to help those fleeing.

Azerbaijan is now holding “re-integration” talks with separatist leaders while at the same time detained some senior figures from its former government and military command.
 

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