The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Rosa Otunbayeva is set to travel to Kabul for negotiations regarding the possible international recognition of the Taliban-formed temporary government of Afghanistan. This development comes after a conference held in Doha in February under the auspices of the UN, where representatives from 25 countries, including Pakistan, discussed a roadmap for engaging with Afghanistan.
The Doha conference sent a clear signal to the Taliban that any international recognition would require the authorities in Kabul to meet key conditions, such as preventing the use of Afghan territory for terrorist activities, establishing an inclusive government, and respecting human rights, especially those of women and girls.
The Afghan Taliban declined to participate in the Doha meeting, expressing disagreement with both the invitation of Afghan activists who do not support them to the conference and its agenda. The absence of a delegation led by the Foreign Minister in the temporary Afghan government, Amir Khan Muttaqi, prevented the participants from endorsing the proposal of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan in addition to the existing position of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in the country, held by former Kyrgyzstan President Rosa Otunbayeva.
Antonio Guterres stated to journalists in Doha that the approval of the appointment of a UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan, tasked with coordinating Taliban's interaction with the international community and promoting intra-Afghan dialogue, would be achieved later after consultations with relevant parties and Afghan authorities. Kabul had previously strongly opposed the appointment of a UN Special Envoy, claiming that the "new Special Envoy may impose decisions unacceptable to Afghanistan."
