The United Nations has clarified that an upcoming meeting on Afghanistan will not be focused on recognizing the Taliban government, after comments made by the

deputy U.N. chief caused confusion. The meeting, which will be hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on May 1-2 in Doha, will gather special envoys on Afghanistan from various countries. The Taliban came to power in August 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

The U.N. General Assembly postponed a decision on whether to recognize the Taliban administration in December 2021. The Taliban has since imposed a ban on Afghan women working for the United Nations and tightened controls on women's access to public life. Photo by Carl Montgomery, Wikimedia commons.