Canada’s foreign affairs department said on Saturday it is “extremely disappointed” over the exclusion of non-IEA Afghans from participating in the main sessions of the third UN-led Doha meeting on Afghanistan.“Canada has clearly expressed for weeks – both privately and in concert with other governments – its grave disappointment about the absence of civil society from Doha III,” it said in a statement.The statement emphasized that the “full, equal and meaningful participation” of Afghan women in the Doha meeting process is not only a core tenet of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda, but fundamental to achieving a peaceful, stable, and inclusive Afghanistan.“None of the goals that Afghans are seeking to achieve are possible without the full participation of women,” the statement added.The statement also stressed the importance of appointing a UN special envoy for Afghanistan to “spearhead the implementation of the roadmap outlined in the UN Special Coordinator’s 2023 report and UN Security Council Resolution 2721.”Canada reiterated its call for the IEA to honor Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and lift restrictive measures on women and girls.This comes as IEA has said that women’s rights is an internal issue which should not be discussed in international meetings.

The Islamic Emirate has also repeatedly said women’s rights are upheld in accordance with Sharia law. Related stories:At Doha meeting, IEA delegation says policy differences are ‘natural’, urges lifting of sanctionsRights groups upset over exclusion of Afghan women at UN-led Doha meetingThe post Canada ‘extremely disappointed’ over exclusion of non-IEA Afghans at Doha meeting first appeared on Ariana News.