Antonio Guterres, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General said on May 2 that it is not the right time for him to directly engage with the Taliban (Afghan rulers), reports Al Jazeera. Speaking during the last day of an international conference on Afghanistan organised by the UN in Doha (Qatar), in which representatives of some 20 countries participated, he said, "The meeting was about developing a common international approach, not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities. Let me be crystal clear: we will never be silent in the face of unprecedented systemic attacks on women’s and girls’ rights. We’ll always speak out when millions of women and girls are being silenced and erased from sight."
Antonio Guterres, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General said May 2 thatthe United Nations will stay in Afghanistan to deliver life-saving aid to millions of desperate Afghans despite the Taliban’s restrictions on female employees, and the limited funding the organization is faced with, reports The Khaama Press News Agency. He further said, “To achieve our objectives, we cannot disengage with the Taliban regime, and it is difficult to overestimate the gravity of the situation in the country.”He noted that 97 per cent of the population lives in poverty and that donor funding is drying up, which will further complicate the living conditions of ordinary people. Currently, a large majority of the Afghan population relies on humanitarian aid to survive.