'Afghanistan's Private Sector Faces Enormous Obstacles'

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Irfan Bukhari | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo has said that the third meeting of special envoys concerned with Afghanistan, being held in Doha, is largely fruitful and ongoing.

“This is the first time that such a broad sector of the international community and the actual authorities have had the opportunity to hold such detailed, frank and useful discussions, which were based on the priority areas listed in the independent evaluation that was recognised by the United Nations Security Council last November,” she said while addressing a press conference yesterday.

She said that Afghanistan's private sector faces enormous obstacles to its development and growth, which negatively affect the economy and livelihoods. “Afghanistan needs to build on the progress made in reducing drug production and terrorism and reassure the international community of deep concern about the continuing and dangerous restrictions imposed on women and girls.”

She noted that Afghanistan cannot return to the international fold, or develop fully economically and socially, if it is deprived of the contributions and capabilities of half its population.

Rosemary expressed her hopes that the ongoing participation and discussions would move things forward in a way that makes Afghanistan a more open and inclusive society, both in terms of governance and civic participation. He appreciated Qatar for hosting this meeting.

Regarding the refusal of some Afghan parties to participate in this meeting, she expressed her regret for this decision.“The meeting was attended by some wonderful people who presented their views, and we shared our views with them to move forward and work together.”

“The constructive discussions on various issues over the past two days have moved us a little closer to resolving some of the problems that are having a devastating impact on the Afghan people... these discussions reflected the unity of the international community in its determination to continue to engage with Afghanistan and the commitment of the United Nations to continue to support the principled engagement process for the benefit of all Afghans.”

She noted that the concerns and opinions of Afghan women and the civil society was important for the United Nations.“The meaningful inclusion of women in political and peace processes is a guiding principle. These issues have been raised in all sessions with the de facto authorities.”

She also stressed that civil society has a major role to play in shaping the future of Afghanistan, and that its voice and the voices of Afghan women were heard despite their absence in the meeting of the de facto authorities during the past two days.

She indicated that the meetings of the past two days discussed the need for more comprehensive governance and respect for the rights of minorities and the fight against drugs and terrorism, which are security issues for Afghanistan and its neighbours and represent a real and humanitarian concern.

“Our goal was to bring together the de facto authorities and the special envoys for direct talks. Unfortunately, the de facto authorities did not sit across the table from Afghan civil society, but they heard very clearly the need to include women and civil society in all aspects of public life,” said Rosemary DiCarlo, noting that this meeting and this engagement process do not mean normalisation or recognition.

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