Qatar-Taliban take on education and humanitarian crisis at Doha meetings

The latest meetings in the Gulf state come amid its ongoing diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan.

Qatari and Taliban officials engaged in talks on economic empowerment and education on Wednesday, amid growing concerns for the rights of Afghan women and girls rights in Afghanistan.

The meetings in Doha were led by Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah Al Khater and caretaker Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

“The meeting touched on the latest developments in Afghanistan. In addition, the two sides discussed cooperation in the development field, especially with relation to the sectors of health, education and economic empowerment of individuals,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Muttaqi landed in the Gulf state on Saturday for rare face-to-face talks with the United States over a range of pressing issues concerning Afghans, mainly Kabul’s dire economic and humanitarian situation as well as the rights of women and girls.

The US envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West and Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights Rina Amiri represented Washington at the talks. The Chief of the US mission to Afghanistan, who is based in Doha, was also in attendance.

The two-day talks ended on a positive note on Monday, with the US expressing its openness to “technical dialogue regarding the stabilisation” of Afghanistan’s economy.

Qatar’s foreign ministry officials later held a follow-up meeting with US diplomats in Doha on Tuesday to discuss the outcomes of the talks and ways to support different sectors in Afghanistan.

“During the meeting, they discussed cooperation relations between the two countries, the outcomes of the US-Afghan meetings hosted by Doha, and ways to support the health, education, and economy sectors in Afghanistan,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement at the time.

Muttaqi separately met with Qatar’s special envoy for counter-terrorism Dr. Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani on Wednesday, per a statement by Hafiz Zia Ahmad, a spokesman from the interim Afghan foreign ministry.

Ahmad said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Al Qahtani described the situation in Afghanistan as “satisfactory”, though no Qatari statement issued details on the meeting.

“Mr. Qahtani called the current situation of Afghanistan satisfactory, adding that the region and the world should step forward towards a constructive engagement with Afghanistan and not to let the existing opportunities be wasted,” Ahmad said.

Meanwhile, Muttaqi met with other western envoys in Doha—including officials from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada among others—during which he held “all-round detailed discussions” on the interim government’s progress in Afghanistan. 

Ahmad said the acting Afghan foreign minister “provided answers in detail to the questions and concerns raised by the ambassadors of various countries.”

Qatar’s ongoing role in Afghanistan

Qatar has been a key interlocutor between the Taliban and the west since the latter’s return to power on 15 August 2021 following a series of territorial gains. The US had completed its withdrawal by the end of August, pulling out thousands of troops to end a two-decade deadly invasion.

Qatar assumed a pivotal role in the aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover by launching fast-paced evacuations of at least 80,000 Afghans and foreigners from Afghanistan. The Gulf state had also agreed to relocate the embassies of western countries from Kabul to Doha, including missions of the US, the UK and the Netherlands.

Within months, the Gulf state, which has hosted the Taliban’s political office since 2013, facilitated the first meetings between the group and the west. Qatar has since served as a platform for dialogue between the interim Afghan administration and the rest of the world and has urged the international community to avoid isolating the people of Afghanistan.

However, Doha’s diplomatic role has not stunted its approach to concerns in Afghanistan. Qatari officials have long raised the alarm on the Taliban’s restrictive policies on women and girls.

In January, Qatar’s foreign minister said Doha was in contact with the interim government to understand the rationale behind the restrictive policies towards women and girls. He also vowed to stand with and support the women in Afghanistan.

“It’s just more and more provoking and making the situation much worse for them and for the Afghan people, we’ve been trying to reach out recently after these decisions take place. We’ve been trying also through other means jointly with other Muslim countries to talk to them and to go together,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s foreign minister, said at the time.

Since last year, the Taliban has tightened restrictions on women and girls in pursuing education and joining the workforce and most recently began shutting down beauty salons.

The roll out of strict policies has displayed a clear U-turn for the Taliban, which initially promised a more moderate rule compared to the group’s previous stint in the 90s.