International envoys raised concerns about restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan during meetings with the Islamic Emirate in Qatar, United Nations’ political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said on Monday.

“Running through all the discussions was the deep international concern – from special envoys and from me – about the ongoing and serious restrictions on women and girls,” DiCarlo said in a statement.

“Afghanistan cannot return to the international fold, or fully develop economically and socially, if it is deprived of the contributions and potential of half its population,” she added.

The two-day, U.N.-led meeting was the first of its kind attended by the IEA.

Meanwhile, US State Department said US envoys participated in the meeting after receiving assurances from the UN that the discussion would meaningfully address human rights, particularly the plight of women and girls, and that there would be opportunities for engagement with Afghan women and civil society.

US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said that US envoy Thomas West made clear that the primary reason private banks have reservations about doing more business in Afghanistan is reputational, and that it is rooted in the IEA’s human rights conduct.

“We know that the Taliban (IEA) often complains about sanctions, but given the broad general license issued by the Treasury Department, relief organizations as well as businesses have the leeway they need to support the Afghan people,” he said.

Russian envoy to UN, Vasily Nebenzya, reiterated that the world should recognize the fact that IEA is running Afghanistan.

“Taliban is de facto authorities on Afghanistan, and we’ve been saying consistently that you have to recognize this fact and deal with them as such. Because whether you like it or not, but this movement is running the country now. And you cannot simply ignore that,” he said.

Envoys have raised concern about women’s rights in Afghanistan, despite IEA saying it is an internal issue.

IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid who led the delegation in Doha, says that women’s rights issue will be resolved with time.

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