Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/unhcr-chief-says-space-discussion-with-taliban-over-human-rights-2021-09-17/
Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15th, they have been projecting a more moderate agenda than when previously in power, however, the number of reports of human and civil rights abuses have been steadily increasing in recent weeks. A number of women’s and civil rights protests organised were forcefully broken up by the Taliban with some protesters including journalists being detained and beaten. These incidents have led to an increased call for negotiations between the Taliban and international organizations regarding human and civil rights. As a result, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees travelled to Afghanistan to hold talks with the Taliban. On his return he stated that “There is space for discussion on these matters,” after bringing up various issues with Taliban officials.
This is an important step because it shows that the Taliban are willing to enter negotiations with foreign and international organizations on sensitive issues. If the Taliban can make agreements to uphold human and women’s rights it would be a huge step towards bringing some kind of stability to the region. However, based on reports already surfacing of human rights abuses like forcefully disrupting protests, the detention and beating of journalists and reports of massacres in the Panjshir Valley, it seems unlikely that the UN will be able to come to an agreement with the Taliban and if they do, the Taliban may ignore it. A formal agreement may also not help overall even if high ranking Taliban officials agree to it because they may have trouble with local warlords disregarding the terms.
This article directly relates to International Relations because it is a perfect example of how an IGO interacts with other governments, in this case a non-recognised state. The UN, an IGO, is currently in negotiations with the Taliban, which is a non-recognised state seeking international recognition, in an attempt to protect women’s rights in Afghanistan as well as the human and civil rights of the Afghan people, especially minority populations. The article shows how the UN tries negotiating with other governments in order to try and bring some stability to Afghanistan and the surrounding area, preventing a humanitarian crisis and attempting to solve the current issue with refugees.
