The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) convened a new round of meetings of the Doha Process Working Groups on counter-narcotics and the private sector.
The meetings, held in Kabul on February 3 and 9, brought together representatives of Member States and international organizations, representatives of Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, and subject matter experts.
The counter-narcotics Working Group discussed efforts by the de facto authorities and the international community to support alternative livelihoods for Afghans whose incomes previously relied on poppy cultivation and the illicit trade in opium, drug use prevention and treatment, and law enforcement efforts to counter narcotics production and trade. The private sector working group covered efforts to support job creation and entrepreneurship, particularly women’s participation in the private sector, market integration, access to finance, and private banking and financial infrastructure.
Both Working Groups identified priority areas for increased engagement and discussed more effective and sustainable ways to support the Afghan people, women and men, in the two areas. They also considered interlinkages between the two topics, as the private sector is a key source of livelihoods for Afghan people and counter-narcotics efforts contribute to Afghanistan’s economic and social stability.
The Working Groups were established as a follow-up to the third Meeting of Special Envoys held in Doha, Qatar in June and July 2024, in line with recommendations of the Independent Assessment (S/2023/856), affirmed by the Security Council (S/RES/2721), for a more coherent, coordinated and structured engagement process with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities for the benefit of the Afghan people.
The stakeholders engage in the Working Groups on an ongoing basis, with larger full format meetings convened periodically.
Since their establishment, the Working Groups have contributed to improved information‑sharing among stakeholders, supported the mobilization of additional resources and facilitated expert exchanges, with the objective of providing more effective and sustainable support to the Afghan people.
