Afghanistan: UN Chief Says 'Not the Right Time' to Directly Engage with Taliban

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that it was still not a time to directly engage with the Taliban administration in Afghanistan. Guterres’ comments follow the recent closed-door meeting among envoys and donors in Doha.

Guterres spoke at a news conference on Tuesday following the closed conference in Doha organized by the UN. The meetings ended with no formal acknowledgment of the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, and Guterres also said it was not the appropriate time to directly engage with the insurgent group.

“The meeting was about developing a common international approach, not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities,” said Guterres, adding that he would hold similar meetings moving forward.

Guterres also condemned the increasingly restrictive policies the Taliban has implemented on women and girls in Afghanistan, such as banning women and girls from pursuing higher education and participating in humanitarian work. The Taliban most recently expanded the ban on aid work to Afghan women working for the UN.

“Let me be crystal clear, we will never be silent in the face of unprecedented systemic attacks on women’s and girls’ rights. We’ll always speak out when millions of women and girls are being silenced and erased from sight,” said Guterres.

The UN chief also said that the international community is “worried” about the stability of Afghanistan under the rule of the insurgent group, which retook control of the country in 2021 following the US military’s withdrawal.

On Monday, the UN Security Council committee said the Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi could travel to Pakistan to meet with the Pakistani and Chinese foreign ministers, according to diplomats. Muttaqi has been subject to a travel ban as part of the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.

In a letter to the UN Security Council Taliban sanctions panel, the Pakistan UN Mission requested an exemption for Muttaqi to travel from May 6 to May 9 to meet with the Chinese and Pakistani foreign ministers. The letter did not indicate what would be discussed during the meeting but noted that Pakistan would be covering the costs of Muttaqi’s trip.

Chinese and Pakistani officials have previously expressed willingness to include the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure project, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.